A Different Fate
by LisaMichelle25
Summary: John Garrett had told Grant Ward not to trust anybody. Ever. And especially not him. But Grant had foolishly allowed himself to trust him. And it had turned out to be a big mistake as he'd been abandoned in the middle of the woods with only a dog named Buddy. But then one rainy night he met the most prettiest girl he'd ever seen who was about to change everything...
1. From One Hell Into Another

**I recently re-watched the episode Ragtag, which showed how Ward and Garrett met for the first time, and then the idea for this story came to me not long after so I started writing it down. I've seen a lot of fics out there where instead of Garrett finding Ward first then it was Coulson who did. But this isn't one of those fics. This is something a lot different that I don't think has been done yet, so at that I'm attempting it. Basically w****hat if a certain someone else had stumbled across Ward all of those years ago after he'd met Garrett? (And since this is an AU then that person is not younger than him but the same age, therefore making them both 16 when this story begins, okay? Because they need to be the same age for this to work and also because this is a 'what if' story so...xD) ****:) Enjoy! xD**

**(The opening to this story is the scene from the opening of the episode Ragtag, but after that it's all me).**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. **

* * *

**A Different Fate**

**Chapter 1: From One Hell Into Another**

_Juvenile Secure Unit_

_Plymouth, Massachusetts_

"Grant Ward?"

Upon hearing his name 16 year old Grant Douglas Ward looked over towards the man who had said it, not recognising him due to having never seen him before now, soon walking over to him.

"My name is John Garrett. The quarter master at your old military school is an old buddy of mine" said John with a slight smile, as he then beckoned towards the table not too far from them. But when Grant made no attempt to move he faced him once more and continued talking. "He told me about a pissed off young cadet with off the chart hand eye coordination who went A.W.O.L., stole a car and drove over a thousand miles home only to burn the place down. I must say I find a young man like that intriguing."

As he beckoned towards the table once more Grant then walked over to it and sat down in silence, watching as John followed and continued talking once more, while casually sipping from his coffee cup. "I'm curious...did you know you're older brother was in the house when you set it on fire?"

"No, Sir, I did not" replied Grant coolly, keeping his face void of emotion. It was a lie, but the mysterious man in front of him didn't need to know that.

John merely smiled knowingly at Grant's answer, as he knew he was really lying, because if anything he saw a little bit of himself in the young kid before him. "I was a pyro when I was a kid. I ended up making a pretty good living out of it." Placing his coffee cup to the side he then fixed his attention back towards Grant. "I'm here to make you a onetime offer so listen up. Your family's lawyer is going to be here in about 20 minutes. Not only are your folks pressing charges against you for arson and attempted murder but your older brother is petitioning the court to have you tried as an adult. Now, you can spend the next few years locked up in a cage blaming mommy and daddy and mean older brother for your problems or you can let me get you out of here and teach you how to be a man."

As Grant listened to him speak he couldn't help but gulp slightly at hearing what his parents and older brother had planned for him, while trying to keep his cool at the same time.

"I work for a secret organization that's always looking to recruit young men like you" said John, as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Why should I trust you?" asked Grant.

"You shouldn't. Don't trust anyone. Ever. Especially me" replied John with a smirk and a laugh before continuing. "Let me be clear. Going with me will be the hardest thing you've ever done. But on the other hand no one will ever screw with you again."

Grant didn't quite trust John just yet, like he'd told him not to, but still he couldn't deny the fact that his offer was tempting, because after all it would get him out of Juvie and from whatever other fate awaited him.

"Say yes. It'll be hard but fun" said John, smiling, as he glanced down at his watch and nodded towards the door. "10 seconds and I walk out that door."

Grant simply remained silent as he contemplated on what he should do for the best.

Leaning towards him more John continued to smile at him as he all but whispered rather slyly "Say yes."

"Yes" replied Grant after barely thinking about it for anymore than a second or two, just as the doors behind him suddenly flung open and about five men wearing all black and holding guns ran in demanding everybody get down and put their hands on the ground. Glancing back towards John he found him to simply be laughing and smirking at him once more as he said "I told you it was gonna be fun!" before then taking another sip from his coffee cup.

* * *

John Garrett had told Grant Ward not to trust anybody. _Ever._ And especially _not_ him. But Grant had foolishly allowed himself to trust him, even when warned not too, but regardless he'd allowed himself to trust the one man that had saved him from the Hell he'd been left in. He hadn't even wanted to think about where he would be now if it wasn't for John saving him when he'd really needed saving.

So he'd trusted him. And it had turned out to be a big mistake which he'd only learned when it was far too late to do anything about it. Because the next thing Grant had been aware of was once again being on his own and this time in the middle of the woods, with only a dog named Buddy for company, nothing to eat and nowhere to spend the night. He was angry beyond all belief at himself for allowing himself to foolishly trust the mysterious man named John Garrett.

But at least he still had Buddy, because after all a dog was supposed to be man's best friend, right?

* * *

It was a little over 3 months later when Grant realised that John Garrett was probably never coming back for him. In that time he'd taken to raiding nearby cabins for food and tools in order to survive the best that he possibly could. He'd managed to set himself up a little campsite and tent to sleep in at night. It wasn't much but at least it was something and gave him a dry place to sleep when all it ever seemed to do was continuously rain. Buddy remained his only companion and friend. He was all alone in the middle of nowhere and on his own for the first time in his life with only his faithful dog for company.

But then one night that all changed in a way Grant could never have seen coming or could ever even have anticipated...

* * *

A little after midnight on a dark, cold and wet night Grant had woken up due to feeling an instant attack of the munchies. Unfortunately he'd finished off the last of his food earlier that day, with the intention of finding more by raiding some more cabins in the morning when it had stopped raining. Though try as he might he couldn't ignore the grumblings in his stomach any longer, so he soon gave up even trying and headed off into the dark and gloomy night in search of some food.

He was just about to give up his search of finding a cabin to raid when he happened to stumble across a van parked near a nearby clearing. The lights were off and it looked like it was abandoned. Though he knew there was also the chance that someone could be inside sleeping, so he approached the van slowly with caution and as a quietly as he could.

Grant found to his utter relief though that the van was indeed vacant and empty of any sleeping occupants. Sliding the door open as wide as it would go he soon jumped inside and began his search for some food, praying that whoever the van had previously belonged too had at least left behind a candy bar at the very least.

"FREEZE, ASSHOLE!" yelled a voice from behind him, which instantly made him stop what he was doing. "Turn around slowly! Don't even think about trying anything stupid either because I've a flare gun and I'm not afraid to shoot you right up your ass with it!"

_Okay, that would probably burn... _Grant thought to himself, as he slowly turned around with his hands up in surrender to face his captor.

As soon as he settled his eyes upon the young, petite brunette standing before him with big, beautiful, brown eyes that could no doubt give Bambi a run for his money he felt as if the breath had all but been knocked right out of him. He didn't know who this mysterious girl was holding him at gun point with a flare gun of all things, but what he did know was that she was by far the prettiest girl he'd ever seen in his life.

"Are you going to get out of my van or are you going to simply stand there gawping at me all night like a goldfish?" she asked him, not once taking her eyes off of him.

"I thought this van was abandoned" replied Grant, as he jumped out and faced her, his arms and hands still raised in surrender. "Sorry about that."

"Abandoned or not it doesn't give you the right to raid it" she said, deadpanned. "What were you looking for anyway?"

"Food" answered Grant simply. "I'm hungry."

"I don't got much of that so you're bang out of luck!" she said. "So you might as well just get to leaving already!"

"How old are you?" Grant asked her curiously. "You don't look any older than at least 16."

"Well duh! That's because I'm not genius!" she scoffed at him. "And I could say the same thing about you too you know."

"Then you'd be right" said Grant, flashing her a friendly smile. "Because I'm only 16 too."

The pretty girl merely stared at him for a few moments in silence before she eventually lowered the flare gun in her hands and stepped slowly towards him. "What's your name?" she asked him, raising an inquisitive brow.

"Grant Ward" replied Grant, still smiling at her, as he slowly lowered his arms to his side when she approached him. "What's yours?"

"Skye" she replied, finally flashing him a smile of her own. "No last name."


	2. Fast Friends

**I'm so happy with the response the first chapter to this little fic of mine got! :) I'm glad so many of you liked it I really am! ^.^ So, without further ado, here's chapter 2! (Did that rhyme? Lol.)**** Enjoy! xD**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Fast Friends**

"That's a really strange last name you've got there" smirked Grant.

"Oh my god seriously?!" laughed Skye. "You suck at humour."

"Tell me something I don't already know" laughed Grant.

"Aren't you even curious as to why I won't tell you what my last name is?" asked Skye curiously.

"I imagine it's because you don't trust me enough yet to share it with me" replied Grant. "You'll tell me if you really want too."

"Yet you trusted me enough to tell me what your last name is" said Skye, tilting her head inquisitively to the left, as she stared at him.

"I guess I just trust you easier" said Grant, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides we're both only 16 years old. What's the worst that we can possibly do to each other?"

"You're seriously asking the girl who threatened to shoot you up your ass with a flare gun only a few minutes ago?!" scoffed Skye.

"Okay, yeah, there was that. But I knew you wouldn't really have done that to me" said Grant, grinning.

"Then you've really underestimated what I'm capable of despite my young age" smirked Skye, as she walked past him to jump into her van. "I swear if you went through my underwear drawer while raiding my van for food then I'll be revisiting the flare up your ass idea!"

"What?! Why would I go through your underwear drawer?! I swear I didn't!" exclaimed Grant, brows furrowed, as he watched her.

"Don't worry about it because I believe you" said Skye, as she spun around to face him and tossed him a candy bar. "Because if you had then you'd have found that already."

"You stash candy in your underwear?" asked Grant, quirking a brow at her.

"Why not?" said Skye, shrugging her shoulders. "Only pervs would ever figure it out from some creepy snooping."

"Fair point" nodded Grant, smiling at her once more. "Thanks for the candy bar."

"You're welcome" smiled Skye. "I can't really let you starve. It wouldn't be very nice of me after all."

"I appreciate it" said Grant, as he gestured to the woods behind him. "I better get back to my camp and see if Buddy wants to share this with me. He's probably a little hungry too."

"Who's Buddy?" asked Skye curiously.

"He's my dog" answered Grant. "And the only friend I've got out here."

"You should be thankful you've got at least him" said Skye, as she looked away from him a little sadly. "I don't have anyone out here."

Grant couldn't help but instantly feel sorry for Skye admitting that to him. She was a lost soul just like he was. Now that he'd met her there was no way he could just leave her out here all on her own in good conscience. "Why don't you come with me and I'll introduce you to Buddy? I'm sure he won't mind a new friend."

Skye glanced back over at him when he asked her that. She tried and failed to stop the corner of her mouth curving up into a smile at him being so sweet and kind to her. As she looked at him a lot more closely, giving him a quick once over with her eyes, she didn't fail to notice that he was quite handsome for a tall and slightly scrawny teenage boy. "You really wouldn't mind if I joined you back at your camp?"

"Not at all" smiled Grant, extending his hand out to her so he could help her jump down from her van. "I think all three of us could probably use the company tonight."

Taking his outstretched hand in her own Skye happily accepted his offer of helping her jump down from her van. "Lead the way then, G.W."

"G.W.?" said Grant, quirking an inquisitive brow at her.

"It's short for Grant Ward" smiled Skye, semi aware he still hadn't let go of her hand. "I think that's what I'll call you from now on."

"Fine with me, Simply Skye" grinned Grant. "Since you're pretty much a mystery to me with no last name."

"I quite like Simply Skye" said Skye, still smiling at him. "So, are you gonna introduce me to Buddy or not?"

"Sure thing" said Grant, smiling a very goofy smile back at her, as he happily started leading her back towards his camp so she could meet Buddy.

And if either of them happened to feel uncomfortable about holding hands together during the walk back then neither of them said anything about it.

* * *

Skye and Buddy got on like a house on fire. He instantly took to her almost as if he'd known her his whole life. He even made Grant feel a little bit jealous over the way he'd casually rest his head across Skye's lap while she tickled behind his ears.

By the time they had made it back to the camp it had finally stopped raining, therefore allowing Grant to light a small campfire near his tent to warm them both up, as he'd noticed Skye had been shivering a little bit and he hadn't wanted her to catch too much of a chill.

Once the fire was lit they'd sat side by side warming their hands up with Buddy resting his head on Skye's lap, while they talked and shared their stories with each other, slowly getting to know each other better. Though Skye talked just that little bit more than Grant did and with seemingly no end in sight. But he was more than happy to just sit and listen to her. The more she talked the more he learned about her, making her somewhat less of a mystery to him.

Skye told Grant how she was an orphan and had spent her whole life growing up with the nuns at St. Agnes' Orphanage. She'd stayed with a few foster families over the years but none of them had ever worked out in the long run and she'd always end up getting sent back to the orphanage. Once she'd turned 16 she'd packed up the few belongings that she had and left in the middle of the night before anyone could stop her. The van she'd been sleeping in was actually stolen, though Skye swore that it was more so abandoned when she'd found it, therefore making it fall under the category of finders keepers. She'd soon claimed it as her own, quickly hotwiring it afterwards before driving off. She'd ended her story by telling him she'd now been on her own for at least 3 months, but didn't regret leaving the orphanage behind since she preferred her freedom.

When she'd finally finished telling him everything Grant had slowly started to tell her a little bit about his own life. He told her how he grew up with two brothers, one older and one younger, as well as a younger sister. He told her how his parents and older brother weren't always very nice people to grow up with, but didn't go into too much detail. Luckily Skye didn't pry him for more answers, which he was grateful for. He confided in her about being sent to military school but had then jeopardized his chances of ever returning when he'd done something foolish, but didn't regret, and had subsequently ended up in Juvie. It wasn't long after that a mysterious stranger by the name of John Garrett had come along and saved him, breaking him out and giving him another chance, before then simply abandoning him in the middle of the woods with only Buddy for company.

Skye had questioned him on why he didn't just leave but Grant had simply replied that he owed John everything and he was determined to prove to him that he could see this through, as well as how much he appreciated his help and was obviously doing this to him for a good enough reason, whatever that may actually be.

Skye had just looked at him a little oddly before accepting his answer. She'd then promised him that until the day John returned she'd remain his and Buddy's friend if they wanted her too, smiling at him as she spoke.

And of course Grant had more than happily accepted her offer, as he'd agreed with a smile of his own.

* * *

As the night got later and later it soon started to rain once more, making them both seek shelter inside of Grant's tent for the night.

"I should probably get back to my van before that rain out there gets any worse" said Skye, as she peeked outside and looked up towards the darkened sky above.

"Or you could just spend the night here?" offered Grant a little meekly.

"You'd let me stay?" asked Skye, as she turned around to face him with a smile.

"Sure. I can't let you leave. You'd get completely soaked and probably end up with flu or something" said Grant, locking his eyes with her Bambi like ones. "What type of a friend would I be if I let you get flu?"

Skye just giggled at him, as she slowly crawled towards him and plopped herself down beside him on his sleeping bag. "You know this sleeping bag isn't big enough for two, right?"

"You can take the sleeping bag. I don't mind" said Grant, tilting his face so he could stare at her from where he currently lay on his back.

"What type of a friend would I be if I kicked you out of your own sleeping bag?" laughed Skye, as she too faced him while lying on her back. "We could maybe possibly try to squeeze in it together."

"I have a blanket too, so really it's fine" said Grant, allowing his eyes to briefly glance towards her mouth, before shooting back up to her eyes before she noticed.

"You seem nervous, G.W." smiled Skye a little smugly, biting down on her bottom lip when she noticed him glance towards her mouth before looking back up to her again. "Are you?"

"No" replied Grant simply, his heart slowly starting to pound in his chest.

"Come on, G.W., start shimmying into this sleeping bag with me already!" laughed Skye, as she slowly climbed inside and waited for him to join her.

As slowly as he could Grant did as she asked of him and managed to squeeze himself inside of the sleeping bag beside her with ease, facing her with a smile afterwards.

"That wasn't so hard now was it?" asked Skye with a grin.

"I guess not" said Grant, as he continued to smile at her. "Will you still be here in the morning?"

"Would you like me to be?" asked Skye a little quietly, almost a whisper.

"Yeah. I would" said Grant, nodding at her. "But only if you do too."

"I do. So I will be" said Skye, slowly reaching out her left hand towards his face, as she then casually tucked a stray stand of hair behind his ear. "I promise you."

"I hope you don't break that promise" said Grant, smiling widely when she touched his face and tucked his hair behind his ear. Feeling slightly brave he slowly shuffled closer to her and tentatively slid his right arm around her waist.

"I don't break my promises" smiled Skye, feeling a small surge of heat course throughout her body when she felt him wrap his arm around her waist. As she continued to smile at him she then slowly lifted her left hand down from his face and slipped it around his own waist.

"You'd be the first person I've ever met in my life that keeps their promises then" chuckled Grant softly. "I keep mine too just so you know."

"What have you promised me lately?" asked Skye, locking her eyes with his.

"I promise you the same that you did with me. I promise you that I'll be right here in the morning when you wake up, as I'm not going anywhere" smiled Grant.

"I hope you don't. Because just know I will track you down just to flare gun your ass for breaking that promise!" giggled Skye.

"What is it with you and that flare gun?!" laughed Grant, as he absentmindedly shuffled even closer to her.

"It's a good weapon to have that's all" giggled Skye once more, as she smiled at him. "Okay, it's late. Let's go to sleep shall we?"

"Sure thing" nodded Grant, leaning just a little bit closer to her so their noses were almost touching. "Goodnight, Simply Skye."

"Goodnight, G.W." said Skye, her eyes slowly fluttering closed not long after.

* * *

That night Grant and Skye happily slept in his sleeping bag together with Buddy sprawled out at the bottom across their feet. Throughout the night they'd both ended up shuffling ever closer to each other, with Skye completely cuddled up against Grant's chest, which he was more than happy to let her do, as he'd wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close to him. In the morning they'd both simply blame being cold and needing each other's body warmth to stay warm.


	3. We'll Always Be Friends

**Here enjoy some Teen!SkyeWard acting all cute and adorable while becoming closer friends! :D This was just far too fun to write I swear. xD **

**Fun fact: The chapter name and the final words between Grant and Skye at the end are taken from one of my all time favourite cartoon movies growing up, as it seemed to fit this chapter. If any of you can guess the movie, the quotes and who said it I'll love you forever ^.^**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: We'll Always Be Friends**

As the months went by Grant and Skye slowly started to become closer friends. They started to become best friends even, which is something neither one of them had ever had before in their short lives.

Grant confided in Skye that growing up he was always considered as an outcast and never made friends easily. Skye in return confided in Grant that she'd always pretty much liked to keep to herself and never got along well with any of the other girls at St. Agnes' Orphanage. They'd both finally managed to find someone they could now call their best friend, even though they didn't openly admit that to each other, due to both at the time being afraid they might scare the other away or something would go wrong at any moment, therefore cruelly forcing them away from each other when they'd only just found each other.

Skye would constantly visit Grant and Buddy at their little makeshift campsite in the middle of the woods. They'd happily talk late into the night around the campfire before retreating back to Grant's tent to sleep. It soon became a regular occurrence for the both of them to squeeze into Grant's sleeping bag together, while absentmindedly cuddling each other throughout the night, only to then blame being cold the next morning. Neither one of them would admit to the other that they just really enjoyed cuddling each other, while also finding comfort from doing so due to knowing that they weren't alone and had each other to lean on for comfort and security.

Occasionally Skye would successfully manage to get Grant to leave his campsite and spend the night in her van with her, which was considerably warmer than the woods, not to mention Skye had an actual bed in there. Buddy was always welcome too, as there was no way either of them would leave him alone back at the campsite in case he ever ran off and they lost him. More often than not Grant would be reluctant to leave his campsite in case John ever came back, despite Skye telling him that it was more than unlikely he ever would and that he should by now be attempting to move on and make his own way in the world. She constantly failed to understand the lingering loyalty that Grant seemed to have to the mysterious man named John Garrett, as all he'd ever tell her was that he owed him everything ever since the day he'd saved him from Juvie.

Skye wasn't afraid to leave the woods unlike Grant was, due to never knowing when John may or may not return. So she'd leave often in her van, promising Grant that she would be back. It was a promise she always kept, especially since she loved to see the wide and happy smile from Grant whenever she'd return back to him. His smile always managed to send little butterflies shooting across her tummy, though she never told Grant that, and would more often than not ignore them the best that she could. Skye was only young, just like Grant was. He was her best friend and she was his. The last thing she ever wanted to do was mess that up by allowing herself to succumb to the feelings the butterflies in her tummy were doing their best to get her to do.

* * *

"Yo! G.W.! Where are you?!" Skye called out, as she got closer to his campsite one Friday morning. "I brought you breakfast!"

"Right here, Simply Skye" said Grant, yawning slightly, as he emerged from his tent. "You brought me breakfast?"

"Yep! Because I'm such a good friend" smiled Skye, as she tossed him a paper bag. "I also brought Buddy some dog biscuits."

"Where have you even been?" asked Grant, as he opened the paper bag she'd tossed him where he found a chicken sandwich, a doughnut, a candy bar and a small coffee in a paper cup. "You've been gone for the last 3 days. I thought you weren't coming back."

"I always come back don't I?" said Skye, as she glanced over at him with a smile from where she was now crouched on the ground feeding Buddy his dog biscuits.

"Yeah, you do" said Grant, smiling a small smile back at her, before then taking a bite from his doughnut.

"To answer where I've been, well, I've been to Starbucks, hence why that paper bag and the coffee cup say Starbucks on them if you look closely enough" said Skye, now tickling behind Buddy's ears. "I got your breakfast for free due to my employee discount that I now have for working there. And that's where I've been the last 3 days. Busy working to earn some cash."

"You got a job working at Starbucks?" said Grant, quirking a brow. "As what exactly?"

"Just as a waitress so nothing too fancy and totally boring" replied Skye, as she rose to her feet and walked over to him. "I had to since one of us has to earn some money around here to feed you and Buddy since you won't leave the woods. Not to mention you'll get better food from me than what you ever will from raiding nearby cabins."

"I appreciate it. I really do" said Grant, taking a sip from his coffee. "I've already told you why I can't leave the woods. I have to be here when John returns to prove to him that I can survive on my own."

_If he comes back you mean, _Skye thought to herself. She didn't say it aloud knowing that it would no doubt just make Grant scowl at her like he had a habit of doing whenever she voiced her opinions on John. The last thing Skye wanted to do was alienate her best friend. She liked Grant, a lot, and she hoped to have him be a part of her life for a long time to come yet. "Will you tell him about me when he returns?"

"I don't know" shrugged Grant, as he locked his eyes with hers. "I honestly haven't thought about it."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't" said Skye, a serious look now etched across her face. "I don't know him and I don't think I ever want too. I'd prefer it if he didn't know anything about me."

"Okay then" nodded Grant. "If that's what you want then I won't tell him anything about you."

"Good!" said Skye, now smiling brightly, as she took the paper bag and coffee cup from him and placed them both on the ground near their feet. "You can eat your sandwich and finish your doughnut later. Right now I've other plans for the two of us!"

"And what would those plans be exactly?" asked Grant curiously, as he allowed her to lead him away from the campsite and into the woods. "You know I can't stray too far away, Skye."

"Chill, G.W." sighed Skye, rolling her eyes slightly. "We're already here. You're barely a few feet away from your campsite."

As Grant looked around him he soon saw the nearby lake come into his line of vision, the water glistening due to the sun as it lapped at their feet. "Why are we at the lake?"

"Do you know how to swim?" asked Skye, as she took off her denim jacket and tossed it to the ground.

"Of course I do" replied Grant, watching her the whole time. "Why do you ask?"

"I was planning on going for a swim to relax me since I've been so busy these last few days" answered Skye with a smile, as she kicked off her little black cowboy boots she always wore. "I thought you might like to join me. I'd suggest going to a swimming pool but since you won't agree to that then the only other option is the lake. So, are you up for it, G.W?"

"But I don't have anything that I can swim in" said Grant, as he wondered if Skye herself even did.

"Don't you have underwear like a normal person?" asked Skye with a slightly cheeky smirk.

"Yes, but..." said Grant, trailing off and furrowing his brows before continuing. "...how is me owning underwear relevant to the two of us going swimming together?"

"Because we can swim in our underwear duh!" said Skye, flashing him a quick wink.

"Uh...wha...huh?!" spluttered Grant, becoming flustered at the mere thought of seeing Skye in nothing but her underwear.

"Aww, how sweet! You're all flustered!" giggled Skye. "Relax, okay? It's not a big deal. We're simply friends so this shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

"I, uh, guess not, um, no, sure, yeah..." stammered Grant, knowing he wasn't making a shred of sense due to how nervous he now was.

"You're so adorable when you're nervous!" giggled Skye, soon turning away from him to slowly slip herself from her jeans. "Just relax, kay?"

"That's easier said than done..." said Grant quietly, as he then became completely mesmerized and enthralled by the sight of Skye shimmying her way out of her jeans before him as she then promptly pulled off her t-shirt. She now stood before in nothing but her bra and panties, both of which were a light pink. _Whoa...she's...she's...she's..._

"Come on! Let's go for a swim before the sun disappears!" yelled Skye, as she set off in a run towards the lake without looking back at him once, before she then promptly disappeared under the water.

_God, help me... _thought Grant, as he hastily pulled off his white t-shirt before then fumbling with the belt buckle and zipper to his jeans, which he finally managed to free himself of after falling over more than once in his haste. Once stripped down to his boxer shorts he soon made his way over towards the lake and dived in after Skye.

"Took you long enough, slow coach!" giggled Skye, as she suddenly came out of nowhere from behind him, jumped on his back and proceeded to dunk him under the water.

"Hey! Umpf!" spluttered Grant, as he found himself being dunked underwater. Twisting away from Skye's grip on him he quickly spun around to grab at one of her ankles, tugging her underwater with him.

"Eeep!" squealed Skye, as she suddenly found herself tugged underwater after Grant.

A few seconds later they both emerged for air, spitting out water from their mouths as they did so, while laughing at each other the whole time.

"I like it when you laugh" said Skye, facing him with a smile, while keeping herself afloat by moving her hands back and forth across the water in front of her. "It's very rare that you allow yourself to laugh."

"I've never had a good enough reason to laugh before" admitted Grant, smiling back at her, as he too kept himself afloat the same way that she was.

"And now you do?" asked Skye, still smiling.

"Yeah, now I do, as well as smile" replied Grant, never once taking his eyes off of her.

"And what makes you smile and laugh now more than you ever have done before?" asked Skye, as she lightly bit down on her bottom lip.

"You do, Simply Skye" replied Grant, flashing her a really big and genuine smile. "I've never had someone like you in my life before."

"Someone like me?" queried Skye, her heart now skipping a few beats.

"Genuine, loyal, good, funny, sweet and kind" said Grant, meaning every word he chose to describe the girl in front of him who was slowly but surely starting to turn his whole world upside down. "And you're nice to me. And it's not because you feel like you have to be or feel pity for me but simply because you want to be."

"You sure know how to make a girl blush I'll give you that" giggled Skye, blushing, as she slowly swam towards him in order to close the short distance between them. As soon as she was close enough she then reached out her arms and ever so gently draped them around his neck. "All those things that you said about me apply to you too. Because I see all of those things in you too."

Grant froze in shock the moment Skye gently draped her arms around his neck, as he honestly had no clue if the right thing to do was pull away from her or remain where he was and allow Skye to keep her arms around him. Generally whenever anyone attempted to touch him like Skye did he'd flinch and fear whatever was coming next. But with Skye it was different. He knew she never intended to hurt him. He trusted her not too. He felt safe whenever she was near him. He no longer felt lonely, or like an outcast. He now finally felt wanted by someone. He finally had someone that cared about him and wanted nothing more than to see him happy. And he was glad that person was Skye.

"Grant?" Upon hearing her call him by his first name for once he immediately shook his head and snapped out of his thoughts to look at her, as he then stared straight into her beautiful doe like eyes. "Yeah, uh, sorry. I kinda drifted off for a second there."

"It's okay" smiled Skye, wrapping her arms just a little bit tighter around his neck. "You looked cute so I didn't want to disturb you right away."

_She thinks I'm cute... _Grant couldn't help but grin when he heard that, as well as smile a somewhat goofy looking smile at her. Lifting his arms up he finally allowed himself to delicately wrap them around her waist, bringing her a little bit closer to him as he did so. "Thank you?"

"That sounded like a question" laughed Skye, shaking her head at him. "Don't worry, G.W. We'll work on showing you how to accept compliments when you get them."

"I get the feeling the only compliments I'm ever going to get will come from you" sighed Grant.

"Well, my compliments are the best ones to receive and you know they'll always be genuine" beamed Skye, as she leaned towards him to place a soft kiss upon his left cheek, before then wrapping her arms around him as tight as she could while hugging him.

As Skye hugged him tightly all Grant could do was happily hug her back, as he smiled one of the biggest and happiest smiles he'd ever smiled in his life. It was in that moment that he came to the silent conclusion that Skye coming into his life so unexpectedly was by far the best thing that had ever happened to him.

* * *

Later that night when they were both tired and ready to pass out asleep they headed over to Skye's van which was parked in a little clearing not too far from Grant's campsite, as Skye had insisted that they'd be sleeping in her van that night. Since Grant hadn't wanted to be alone or away from Skye he'd agreed as soon as she'd suggested it.

He now found himself lying beside Skye in her little bed, facing her with a smile across his face, while Buddy lay completely sprawled out on the tiny kitchen floor not far from them.

"Thank you, Skye" said Grant, breaking the contented silence between them.

"What are you thanking me for?" asked Skye, looking at him inquisitively.

"Everything" said Grant, curving his mouth into a bashful smile. "But mainly for being my friend."

"You're welcome, Grant" said Skye, happily smiling back. "Thank you for being my friend too."

"You're welcome too, Skye" said Grant, as he slowly slid his right arm around her waist.

"Can I cuddle you?" asked Skye shyly, while slowly shuffling towards him.

"For body warmth?" asked Grant, failing to hide his smirk since they both knew that it was a lot warmer inside Skye's van than his tent, so they technically didn't need to cuddle to keep warm.

"Yeah, sure, for body warmth" grinned Skye.

"What type of a friend would I be if I let you freeze?" chuckled Grant, as he opened out his arms for her.

"A really mean one" laughed Skye, as she happily shuffled into his outstretched arms and cuddled up to his chest contently.

"I could never be mean to you" said Grant, as he wrapped his arms around her quite protectively and rested his head lightly atop of hers.

"Good to know" mumbled Skye against his chest. "Because I've still got a flare gun that I'm not afraid to use on you if you ever were."

Grant just chuckled at that as they both then settled into a comfortable silence once more. After a few minutes he was once again the first to break it. "Skye, you're my best friend."

"And you're mine too, Grant" replied Skye sleepily.

"And we'll always be friends. Forever. Won't we?" asked Grant tentatively.

"Yeah, forever." Placing a soft, reassuring kiss at the centre of his neck Skye then cuddled as close to him as she could get, smiling when he too did the same to her.


	4. A Day At The Fair

**I haven't been very well lately so my updates are coming a little bit slower. I'm so sorry for the delay everyone. xD **

**Here's yet more Teen!SkyeWard to make it up to ya'll which I hope you enjoy! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: A Day At The Fair**

"For the last time I can't, okay?!" exclaimed Grant a little frustratedly.

"Ugh! You can and you know you can!" huffed Skye in annoyance, as she folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "You just won't because you're being stubborn!"

"You're also being stubborn in trying to get me to leave with you!" sighed Grant, as he too started glaring right back at her.

"You make it sound as if I'm trying to get you to flee the country with me!" exclaimed Skye, shaking her head at him. "All I want is for you to come to the local Wyoming Fair with me for crying out loud!"

"I can't leave the campsite" said Grant, sighing once more. "You know that already."

"You can leave it but like I said you just won't leave it" said Skye, as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "It's now been 6 months, Grant. He's not coming back."

"You don't know that for sure" said Grant, furrowing his brows at her. "I want to be here when he does."

"But why?" asked Skye, puzzled. "He abandoned you in the middle of the woods without a real explanation as to why! No person in their right mind does that to a 16 year old! The guy's crazy and the sooner you see that then the better!"

"He left me here so I could learn how to depend on myself when I have too and so I can learn how to be a man" said Grant. "I don't think John is crazy. I think he just does things a little bit differently than most people."

"Crazy people always do things differently to others" sighed Skye. "And abandoning you in the middle of the woods isn't teaching you how to be a man! God, the guy is seriously delusional!"

"You just need to meet him and then you'll see him a little bit differently" defended Grant.

"I don't plan on ever meeting him so don't even suggest to me that I ever do" said Skye, scowling at the mere thought of ever meeting crazy John Garrett, because despite how much Grant defended him Skye knew he was most definitely living in crazy town. "If he ever does return then don't you ever tell him about me like I've already told you not too. He's not someone I ever want to know and I definitely don't want him ever knowing about me. You may trust him but I certainly don't."

"I already gave you my word that I won't tell him anything about you" said Grant, locking his eyes with her ever so beautiful Bambi like ones. "I promise you, Skye. He won't know you even exist."

"Thank you" smiled Skye, as she closed the short distance between them and slowly lifted her arms up to drape them around his neck, flashing him her best lost puppy pout she'd learned over the past few months he could never resist. "Please come to the fair with me! Pretty please, G.W.! I'll be your bestest friend forever!"

"I thought you already were my best friend?" chuckled Grant, smiling down at her, as he slowly and casually slipped his arms around her waist.

"I am your best friend" smiled Skye. "But if you come to the fair with me then I'll be your bestest friend!"

"And there's a difference between the two?" asked Grant, quirking a brow at her.

"Well duh! Bestest is totally better than best!" beamed Skye.

"That doesn't make any sense!" laughed Grant.

"Oh who cares! Just come to the fair with me!" pleaded Skye. "I can't go by myself. I need someone to come with me to keep me safe from any potential creeps. A lot of teenage boys our age go to the fair and they might give me grief. But with you there then they won't because you would never let them."

"You want me to come and protect you?" asked Grant, his mouth curving up into a wide smile at the thought of being Skye's sole protector from other boys his own age. "You really think that I could?"

"Of course you could" smiled Skye. "You already protect me whenever we're together. So, pleaseeeeeeeeeee?!"

"I want to, Skye, I really do, but if he comes back and I'm not here then-"

"Then you aren't here big freaking deal! He'll just have to come back when you are and then you tell him that you were off raiding a cabin for food! And to make it believable just in case then we'll bring some food back with us, the type you'd find in a cabin like a tin of beans or something, so then he'd believe it" said Skye, smiling a soft smile up at him. "Come on, G.W. Allow yourself to have some fun with me. Have you ever even been to a fair before?"

"I guess that plan could work" said Grant, as he thought about it. "And no I haven't. My parents never took me or my siblings to fairs. They were never those type of parents."

"I've been to a few courtesy of some foster families before they sent me back to St. Agnes and from what I remember they can be pretty fun" said Skye. "So let me take you to your very first fair! I promise you that you'll have the time of your life. Or don't you trust me?"

"I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone in my life" smiled Grant. "Okay. I'll go to the fair with you. But only for a couple of hours and we have to be back here before it gets dark, alright?"

"YES!" squealed Skye, as she gave him a kiss on his right cheek out of pure happiness that he'd finally agreed to go to the fair with her. "And don't you worry your pretty little head, Cinderella, as I'll get you back before nightfall so you don't turn into a pumpkin!"

"Very funny" scowled Grant, shaking his head at her while sighing. "What about Buddy? We can't just leave him here."

"We'll take him with us" said Skye, as she glanced over towards Buddy. "But we'll have to leave him locked in my van because I don't think dogs can walk freely around the fair without a leash. As long as we leave one of the windows down a little bit he'll be fine."

"Okay, sounds like a plan" nodded Grant. "We should buy him some dog biscuits before we just leave him in your van. Y'know, to sweeten the deal and all that."

"I like how you're suddenly getting into all of this" smiled Skye. "You won't regret it. This is going to be one of the best days of our lives yet!"

"I think so too" smiled Grant. "You managed to twist my arm. So, what are we waiting for?!"

"Absolutely nothing!" grinned Skye triumphantly, as she took Grant's right hand in her own, lacing their fingers together, and then set off walking through the woods towards her van with Buddy trailing behind them.

* * *

The day that Grant and Skye spent together at The Wyoming County Fair did indeed turn out to be one of the best days of their lives. As soon as they'd arrived at the fair both of their eyes had lit up as bright as the stars at night upon seeing all of the different rides they could go on together and all of the different stalls they could visit.

The first place they had immediately seeked out was the nearest candyfloss stall where Skye had happily walked away with some pink candyfloss, while Grant had gotten blue. As they ate their candyfloss side by side they wandered around the fair together taking in all that it had to offer them until they decided what to do next.

When it came to the many different rides at the fair Grant had particularly enjoyed the mini dodgems where he'd taken great pleasure in bumping into Skye's dodgem as often as he could, laughing at the scowl she would flash his way while all he could do was grin like an idiot. After successfully winning the war of who was better at bumping into each other Grant had then jumped out of his dodgem and into Skye's beside her, as they'd then teamed up to bump into as many strangers as they could together, while laughing the whole time.

After the dodgems Skye had promptly dragged Grant to the nearby horse carousel with her and had jumped onto a bright pink one with the name _'Sparkle' _on the side. Grant had jumped on after her after she'd patted the back for him to join her once he'd flashed her a scowl at making him ride a pink horse with a stupid name. But Skye had just giggled at him while taking his hands in her own and wrapped them around her waist, while she'd held onto the pole in front of her. With his arms wrapped tightly around Skye's waist, his head lightly resting in the crook of her neck, and a contented smile across his face the whole time there was no denying the fact that Grant had more than enjoyed his time spent sitting on that pink horse called Sparkle because he'd got to be so close to Skye throughout.

Next they'd tried their luck on many a different game from many of the different stalls that littered the fair. Skye had loved playing _'Hook-A-Duck' _the most winning loads of little tiny prizes in the process. Grant's favourite stall had been _'Tin Can Alley' _where he'd managed to knock down every single tin can with one hit the full total of three times, earning him praise from the stall owner at a job well done, as it had been the first time in years he'd ever seen someone be able to do that with so much ease. The prize he'd won was a giant white teddy bear which was almost as big as he was. He'd happily given it up to Skye, earning him one of her beautiful smiles he loved so much after telling her he'd won it simply for her. Skye had then graced his cheek with a soft kiss, while declaring she would be naming the teddy bear G.W. after him, making him chuckle and blush slightly at the sentiment.

Throughout their day of fun they stopped here and there to indulge in countless hot dogs, yet more candyfloss and just junk food in general, while holding hands the whole time, due to Skye insisting that it was the only way for Grant to warn off all of the other teenage boys their age that were all around them casting appreciative once over's in Skye's direction every so often. To outsiders they could've simply been a young boyfriend and girlfriend enjoying a date at the fair together. And if both of them were completely honest with themselves they didn't mind anyone in the slightest thinking that about them.

As the night slowly started to settle in Skye managed to convince Grant to take a ride on the giant Ferris Wheel with her before they left the fair. She knew that he was eager to get back to his campsite before it got too dark, but she was reluctant for their day to end since she couldn't return with him tonight due to having an early start at Starbucks where she would work for the next 3 days straight before seeing Grant again. When working Skye always parked her van not far from Starbucks and practically lived there until she could return to Grant once completely done.

* * *

"Why have we stopped at the top?" asked Grant, glancing over the side to the ground below to see if he could spot a problem with the Ferris Wheel. "Have we got stuck up here?!"

"Relax! We're not stuck I swear!" giggled Skye at his somewhat frantic look in her direction. "They always stop for a few minutes when they reach the top before they start moving again."

"But why exactly?" asked Grant, quirking a brow.

"I dunno" shrugged Skye. "I guess to allow everyone the opportunity to look out at the fair and all of the tiny people below them. You're not afraid of heights are you?"

"No" replied Grant with a shake of his head. "I just don't want to be stuck up here all night that's all."

"You won't be so don't worry" said Skye, as she turned in her seat to face him with a smile. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask me anything, Skye" smiled Grant, as he too turned in his seat to face her. "What's on your mind?"

"Why were you in Juvie?" asked Skye tentatively, biting down on her bottom lip a little nervously.

"I was wondering when you'd get curious about that again" sighed Grant.

"Yeah, well, what better place to ask you than when we're stuck on a Ferris Wheel where escape is practically impossible!" laughed Skye.

"Wanna bet?" chuckled Grant, as he glanced over the side. "I'll bet I could easily swing like a monkey down those railings!"

"Doing so would probably get you arrested and sent back to Juvie or something like that" said Skye, locking her eyes with his sudden fear filled ones when he turned to look at her again. "I'm guessing you never want to go back there again."

"Not if I can help it" said Grant quietly.

"So why were you even there in the first place?" asked Skye encouragingly. "I won't judge you for whatever it was that you did. I'm not that type of girl."

"You say that now but if I confide in you then you might think otherwise" said Grant, as he turned away from her slightly to stare straight ahead, slouching down in his seat a little as he did so.

"I promise you that I won't" said Skye reassuringly, as she shuffled closer towards him, crossing her legs with her right one resting ever so lightly against his left one. "I'm your best friend and best friends don't judge each other."

Grant took a deep breath before he answered her, knowing she'd just keep on encouraging him to answer the more he continued to dodge doing so. "I ran away from military school to go back home and burn the house that I grew up in down to the ground." _While__ my older brother was inside at the time... _he finished as simply a thought.

"Why would you do that?" asked Skye, as she tried her best to mask how shocked she was at hearing that, as it hadn't been what she'd expected to hear at all.

"I was angry at my parents for sending me away to military school because..." said Grant, trailing off momentarily before continuing. "...because I don't even know. I think they simply wanted one less kid to deal with so they sent me away."

"I'm sorry, Grant" said Skye, as she reached out her hand and took a hold of his, squeezing it comfortingly. "You didn't deserve that. Nobody does. Parents are meant to love their children, not send them away because they can't be bothered to be parents anymore. But then what do I know because mine never even bothered to raise me at all."

"I'm sorry too, Skye" said Grant, as he squeezed her hand back. "If anyone deserves loving parents then it's you."

"Aweh! Thank you!" said Skye, blushing a little.

"You really have no idea how amazing you truly are" smiled Grant. "Your parents should be kicking themselves for missing out on knowing you and how much of an amazing person that you've become."

"Trust me when I say that I'm not amazing" said Skye a little sadly. "Because if I was then you'd think at least one of my many foster families that I grew up with might've kept me around longer than a few weeks or months at a time."

"No, Skye, you are amazing so believe that" said Grant, turning completely in his seat to face her, as he took her other hand in his and squeezed them both together, before he then leaned in a little closer to her. "The families that you ended up with were just too dumb and blind to ever see you like how I see you."

"Quit trying to make me blush, okay?" giggled Skye, as she blushed profusely at all of the kind and sweet things he was saying to her. "Y'know you're pretty amazing too, right? You're own parents were obviously just too dumb and blind to ever see that about you as well."

"Well, who needs parents anyway, right?" said Grant, shrugging while smiling at her. "We're better off without them. We're better off on our own."

"But we're not alone" said Skye, as she smiled back at him. "Because we have each other."

"You're right, we do have each other" said Grant, squeezing her hands in his once more, as he slowly leaned even closer to her. "As long as we now have each other then we don't need anyone else to finally be happy."

"I happen to agree with you" said Skye, her breath hitching in her throat the moment Grant started to slowly lean further towards her.

But before Grant could lean any closer in order to close the remaining distance between them he was suddenly stopped from doing so by the Ferris Wheel jerking forward as it slowly set off moving again, therefore making them both jerk forward and bump each other on the head.

"Ow! Sorry! Are you alright?" grimaced Grant, as he rubbed at his forehead.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it" replied Skye, as she also rubbed at her forehead while internally cursing the dumb Ferris Wheel for disturbing the moment between them.

Neither one of them knowing what to say to each other next they instead fell into a somewhat awkward silence until the ride came to a halt at the bottom.

After jumping out they soon started making their way back to Skye's van while remaining in silence throughout. But to show Skye that he didn't regret what had almost happened between them Grant reached out for her hand to hold, flashing her a small smile and receiving one back in return.

* * *

The night had finally settled in when Skye dropped Grant and Buddy back off at their campsite. She had been reluctant to say goodbye but had forced herself to do so. She'd hugged each of them in turn and then promised she'd be back in three days as always, before jumping back into her van and driving away.

Sighing to himself Grant had then turned and entered the woods to return back to his campsite with Buddy by his side.

Upon arriving back he found everything to be exactly how he'd left it, making him sigh in relief that he hadn't been ransacked while away or had any unwelcome visitors in his absence. He swiftly made his way over towards his tent where he fully intended to pass out asleep the best that he could without the comfort of having Skye in his arms, as he always managed to drift off to sleep a lot easier knowing she was beside him and would be there when he woke up.

"Where the hell have you been for the past few hours?!" came an angry voice from behind him he recognised all too well just as he was about to enter his tent. "You've got some explaining to do, boy!"

Spinning around on his feet Grant was quickly met with the very angry and slightly pissed off face of none other than John Garrett.


	5. Be Careful Who You Trust

**Angsty chapter for ya'll because why not? You might recognise some of the dialogue from Grant and Garrett from the episode "Ragtag" but mostly I changed it and added more to suit my own direction. The next chapter won't be too far behind as I won't leave you sitting on too much angst for too long. xD Feel free to review and leave your thoughts on what might happen next. :) **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

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**Chapter 5: Be Careful Who You Trust**

"I asked you a question, boy" said John, as he stepped closer towards Grant and narrowed his eyes at him questioningly. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"I haven't been anywhere" replied Grant, as he did his best to keep his expression cool. "I just took Buddy for a walk."

"Since when does a walk take hours?!" asked John, glaring at him. "Buddy doesn't need you to take him for any walks. You're living in the woods for crying out loud! He can roam free wherever he wants without your help."

"I guess I wanted a walk too" said Grant, shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't make a habit of taking walks, alright?" said John, as he stepped even closer towards him until he was towering over him. "Because when I come to check on you I fully expect you to be here waiting for me. Though I will admit that by now I figured you'd be long gone."

"I was half expecting you to never come back" said Grant, as he stared up at him. "You said a couple of months. It's been six."

"I've been out of the country on an assignment" shrugged John, spinning away from Grant just a little to glance around his campsite. "Seems like you and Buddy did okay without me."

"The first few weeks were rough but then I realised my thinking was limited. I started raiding cabins, got some tools, a tent and life got easier..." explained Grant, trailing off momentarily in order to stop himself from ending with _'especially after I then met Skye.' _He had to remember and do his best to not mention Skye around John, since he'd promised her that he wouldn't and he intended to honour that promise.

"I told you that you could do it" said John, as he turned to face Grant with somewhat of a sly smile. "Damn son, you stepped up in a big way! I couldn't be prouder if you were my own."

"Really?" said Grant, curving the corner of his mouth into a small smile at being shown praise for doing something right.

"Sure" said John, smirking. "Now, get some rest. Because first thing tomorrow I'm going to start teaching you how to be a man that no one will ever mess with. I'd planned to do that today but you weren't here."

"I'm sorry about that" apologised Grant. "I won't do it again."

"I know you won't" chuckled John. "Because if you did do it again then you'd soon learn why you shouldn't."

"What does that mean?" asked Grant warily.

"Maybe one day you'll be lucky enough to find out" smirked John, as he smacked Grant on his arm before walking past him to head back towards his truck. "Now, get some rest. I'll be back first thing in the morning."

As John smacked him on his arm Grant immediately flinched at the physical contact. Even though he tried hard not to he always flinched whenever coming into physical contact with another human being, due to his mind automatically connecting physical contact to feeling the onslaught of pain and abuse not long afterwards. The only time he didn't flinch or back away was whenever Skye touched him, since her touch was more comforting and soothing to him than anything. Luckily for Grant though John simply walked away from him afterwards, making him breathe a huge sigh of relief. Though try as he might he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that the morning was set to bring him nothing at all good...

* * *

The next morning Grant was forcibly awoken by John suddenly barging into his tent, yanking him by his shirt collar to his feet and throwing him outside where he face planted the ground harshly. "What the hell, John?! This isn't how you wake a person up!"

"I'll wake you up however the hell I want to wake you up, boy!" snarled John. "You need to work on your senses and be more alert to people creeping up on you!"

Grant just rose to his feet in silence and wiped the dirt from the ground off of his clothes, while he cast the odd scowl in John's direction every so often. "You really should pay attention to your surroundings and the people around you" he heard John say, making him look up, only to stumble backwards when he suddenly became aware of the gun that was now being held in his face. "What the hell is that for?!"

"It's time for your next lesson" chuckled John, as he kept his gaze fixed firmly on Grant before him. "How fast do you think you can dodge a bullet?"

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Grant, gulping. "This is your version of a lesson in teaching me how to be a man?! You're delusional! I can't even begin to think how I'd dodge a bullet! I'm not Superman! I'll never be prepared for this!"

"Stop blaming me for your own failure! It makes me not like you. You want it easy? Go back to Juvie. They'll give you three squares and a cot" spat out John menacingly. "Confirm what your family believes, what everybody believes! That Grant Ward is weak and worthless!"

"I'm neither of those things..." said Grant quietly, trailing off sadly.

"Sure you are" smirked John. "There's no one in this world that will ever tell you differently because no one really cares about you, son."

_Skye cares about me... _thought Grant to himself, biting down on his tongue to stop himself from saying that aloud and informing John that Skye even existed to him.

"Quit your pouting, boy, because men don't pout. Let's begin your first lesson, shall we? Try not to screw up too many times because you'll suffer the consequences if you do" said John, as he popped the safety off his gun and continued to aim it at Grant. "Now, be a good little Superman and dodge a speeding bullet."

And with that John pulled the trigger.

* * *

Grant had barely missed the bullet, as it managed to graze his right side, which had been more than enough to make him collapse to the ground in agony, the right side of his shirt slowly starting to gush with blood.

John had at the time been less than sympathetic towards him, as he'd simply chuckled and scolded him for not being quicker.

No matter how much Grant had tried to tell John that what he had done hadn't been right and he could've very easily killed him he'd failed in getting him to understand and listen. Instead he'd simply been backhanded roughly across his face for even daring to answer back to him, which had proven to Grant in that moment that John Garrett was just like his father and older brother had been towards him, if not a hell of a lot worse. It was in that moment that Grant had realised Skye had been right all along when she'd said that John Garrett was indeed crazy. But there wasn't anything that he could've done about it in that moment since John had held all of the power due to the gun he had continued to hold in his hand.

John had eventually taken pity on Grant and had tended to his side where the bullet had grazed him the best that he could. He'd ignored his pleads to take him to a hospital saying that he didn't need one, as he'd patched himself up from being shot at many times in the past. Afterwards he'd given him a couple of hours to move past the incident before resuming his many lessons with him, constantly backhanding him hard across his face when he failed to do as he was told correctly, or dared to question his motives and answer him back.

Grant had eventually resigned himself to remaining quiet while he did his best to listen to everything John said, all the while taking any punishment he decided he needed for messing up and not doing as he was told. As much as he hated it he couldn't deny that when it came to just sitting back and taking any form of pain and abuse when he was inflicted with it was something that he was already used too. John had proven to him that he was no different to anyone else in his life. He'd proven that he most definitely should never have trusted him just like he'd warned him not to, and while doing so had slowly started to make Grant believe that he deserved everything he handed out to him, due to the fact he now owed John everything for breaking him out of Juvie and saving him from spending years locked away.

John now owned him, parting words he'd finally left him with three days later, leaving Grant with the sad realisation that it was true, and there was nothing he could do about it. He'd made his bed and now he had to lie in it. But if there was one person that didn't deserve to be forced to live this way was Skye, and as soon as she returned Grant fully planned on sending her away for good for her own protection and safety. As long as Skye was safe from John then that was all that mattered to Grant. He believed he deserved this life, but he knew that Skye deserved a lot better.

Before John had left he'd told Grant that he'd be back in another 3 months time where he fully expected Grant to be waiting for him, which Grant had every intention of doing so to prove his gratitude and loyalty towards John saving him from Hell.

However, Grant fully intended on doing everything from here on out alone..._without Skye._


	6. The Ties That Bind

**Enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think! :) **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

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**Chapter 6: The Ties That Bind**

"Hey, G.W.!" called out Skye, as she came running through the woods after finally being done working for the next 4 days. "I brought you doughnuts!"

Arriving at Grant's campsite she found Grant nowhere in sight, along with Buddy. _Where the hell are they? _Furrowing her brows in confusion she quickly set about searching his tent to double check they weren't still sleeping and being lazy, but all she found when looking was an empty tent. _He can't have left because all of his stuff is still here. _"Grant? Grant?! GRANT!"

"You're going to give all of the birds out here heart attacks if you keep on yelling like that" came Grant's familiar sounding voice, making her instantly spin around to face him with a smile across her face. "I could hear you all the way from the lake."

"You've been at the lake?" asked Skye, as she walked over towards him.

"Buddy was rolling around in mud before" replied Grant, as he indicated to the wet dog that every now and then would shake the water off. "I took him to the lake to get him clean. I had to throw countless sticks into the water to actually get him to swim enough to wash the mud of though."

"Poor you" laughed Skye, as she held out the bag she held in her hand towards him. "I brought you doughnuts!"

"Thanks" said Grant, smiling a small smile at her. "I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I figured you've probably been living on whatever you'd managed to find from raiding cabins and could do with a little treat" said Skye, smiling back, before she then furrowed her brows at him. "Why are you wearing your hoodie in this heat? It's stifling today! Aren't you hot underneath that thing?!"

"I'm fine, Skye" said Grant a little quietly, as he settled his attention onto the bag of doughnuts she'd brought him.

"Whatever floats your boat" said Skye, shaking her head at him, as she then pulled something out of her jacket pocket. "I bought you something."

"Huh?" said Grant, half a doughnut hanging out of his mouth.

"I said I bought you something" smiled Skye, walking over to him. Reaching out she pulled his hoodie down, as she then promptly placed a small red cap on his head. "It just screamed you at me when I saw it so I had to buy you it!"

"Thank you" said Grant appreciatively, admiring the red cap in his hand after taking if off his head, before he then placed it back on top of his head while smiling at Skye. "I love it. It'll keep my head warm at night if anything."

"You're such a doofus, y'know that, right?" giggled Skye, shaking her head at him. As she continued to smile at him she couldn't help but notice what looked like bruises forming on either side of his neck and a few marks on his face, almost as if he'd been smacked across the face a few times. "What the hell have you been doing while I've been gone?"

"What do you mean?" asked Grant, swallowing the last of his doughnut and putting the rest away to the side for later.

"You're covered in bruises, Grant!" exclaimed Skye, as she closed the distance between them and reached out to lightly trace her finger across a nasty looking bruise on the left side of his neck. "Did somebody do this to you?"

"No, no, I just fell and hit a rock..." said Grant, stammering a little, as he flinched away from Skye's touch. "...it's not a big deal."

"There's no way you got those types of bruises from hitting your neck on a rock, Grant" said Skye, frowning at him. "Who did this to you? And don't lie to me. I have a pretty strong bullshit detector."

"It was, just, y'know, raiders" said Grant, shrugging his shoulders, as he did his best to avoid her gaze. "I got raided one night. I got beat up trying to stop them from taking my food."

"Bullshit" said Skye, narrowing her eyes at him. "I'm not dumb, G.W. I know fine well that raiders didn't do that to you."

"I don't see how you can because you weren't here when it happened, Skye!" yelled Grant without meaning too. "It's not a big deal, okay?"

"Oh my god..." said Skye quietly, as sudden realisation hit her. "It was him. He did this to you. He came back and he beat you. Didn't he?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about" said Grant, as he moved past her to head towards his tent. _I'm so not in the mood for this conversation right now..._

"You know fine well what I'm talking about! Why are you lying to me?!" yelled Skye, reaching out to grab his arm as he walked past her and spin him back around to face her again.

The moment Skye grabbed a hold of his arm and spun him around to face her Grant winced in pain, as he bit down on his bottom lip to stop himself from cursing at her. "Don't grab me like that!"

"What's wrong with your side?" asked Skye, as she looked at him worriedly due to him now cradling his right hand side. "Please, just tell me the truth. What did John do to you?!"

"It's not what you think, alright? He simply taught me how to defend myself from any attackers and things like that. He taught me how to fight and how to take care of myself" explained Grant, locking his eyes with Skye's. "He was teaching me how to be a man just like he'd said that he would."

"By beating the shit outta you?!" exclaimed Skye incredulously. "You don't teach someone to be a man by beating them up! He's crazy, Grant! Why can't you see that?!"

"He pulled me out of Juvie, Skye!" yelled Grant angrily. "If it wasn't for him I don't even know where I would be right now! I'd probably be rotting in a jail cell for the rest of my miserable life! I owe him EVERYTHING!"

"You owe him NOTHING!" yelled Skye right back. "What the hell has he been telling you while I've been gone these past few days?!"

"You wouldn't understand" said Grant, furrowing his brows at her. "You don't get it. You've never had anyone save you from a really messed up situation like I have. You've never had anyone save you like John did with me. I owe him everything."

"That's what he wants you to believe" said Skye, as she walked a little closer to him. "But you don't. All you owe him is a simple thank you for helping you escape a bad situation. You don't owe him your life or anything like that. Whatever he's been telling you and trying to make you believe then he's simply manipulating you into thinking that what you owe him is basically the equivalent of a life debt."

"That's the thing, Skye" said Grant. "I do owe him a life debt."

"No you don't! You can't allow him to make you believe that he owns you like that" said Skye, as she came to a halt in front of him. Reaching out towards his side she quickly grabbed the bottom of his hoodie and lifted it up before he could stop her, as she'd wanted to see the damage that John Garrett had inflicted upon Grant for herself.

"Skye, don't!" yelled Grant, as he jerked away from her and yanked his hoodie back down.

But Grant hadn't been quick enough, because Skye had seen all that she'd needed to see to know exactly what had happened. "Oh my god..."

"You were never meant to see that" said Grant, as he wrapped his hoodie all around him and stepped further away from Skye. "I never wanted you to see that."

"Did he...did he seriously...did he shoot you?!" stammered Skye, her eyes welling up with tears. "Because that looks like a gunshot wound! And one that hasn't been patched up very good either!"

"It was an accident..." said Grant quietly, trailing off, as he once again avoided her gaze.

"Do you really expect me to believe that he shot you by accident?!" cried Skye, her tears now slowly starting to cascade down her cheeks. "Oh god. I think I'm gonna be sick."

"You'll never understand" said Grant, as he finally looked at her again. "No matter what I tell you you'll just never understand."

"Wake up, Grant!" screamed Skye angrily. "He's manipulating you into believing a pile of utter crap! He's messing with your head mentally! Why can't you see that?!"

"I just...you don't...he..." said Grant, stumbling over his words. "...he saved me...I owe him...I deserve everything."

"Grant, please, no..." said Skye, now crying even more, as she slowly and tentatively walked over to him. _Why does he think he deserves to be abused like this?! What the hell has that crazy psycho done to his frame of mind while I've been gone?! _"Listen to me, okay? You don't deserve to be hurt like this, Grant. No one does. So whatever he's told you then you have to forget it and fast. You are your own person. He doesn't control you or own you."

"Yes he does" said Grant ever so quietly. "He told me that he does."

"He's a delusional ass!" said Skye, as she came to a stop in front of him, reaching out to tenderly caress his cheek with her thumb. "You need to forget everything that he's told you and everything that he's taught you."

"I can't. I just can't. I'm sorry" said Grant, shaking his head, as he blinked his own tears away that had slowly crept up on him. The last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of Skye and show his vulnerability to her. "You need to leave, Skye."

"I'm not going anywhere" said Skye, frowning. "Not without taking you and Buddy with me."

"I'm staying here. I can't ever risk leaving and John finding out again" said Grant, as he brushed her hand away from his cheek. "I also can't risk him ever finding you here. I didn't mention you to him just like you asked me not too. But if we aren't careful then he's bound to find out about you."

"I don't care anymore" said Skye, bitterness lacing her tone. "Let him find out about me. I'll kick his good for nothing ass for daring to lay a hand on you!"

Grant couldn't help but smile at her for saying that. He'd never had anyone want to hurt someone for hurting him before. No one had ever cared about him before like he knew that Skye did. But regardless of everything she had to leave because the last thing he wanted was for John to get his hands on Skye and do to her what he'd done to him. He'd never be able to forgive himself if Skye ever got hurt because of him. "Skye, you have to leave. It's for your own safety. Please, just leave me. And don't ever come back."

"Not gonna happen, G.W." said Skye, folding her arms across her chest indignantly and glaring at him. "I'll only leave if you come with me because what you really need right now is a hospital. You need to get that gunshot wound checked out properly before it becomes infected."

"I'm fine, okay? You don't need to worry about me. You just need to leave me already!" said Grant, sighing. "I don't want you here anymore."

"I don't believe that" said Skye, sighing also. "But give it your best shot, G.W. Go on and say as many mean and hurtful things to me that you can in order to get me to hate you and leave. It won't work. Because I know deep down that you won't mean a single word that you say. I know you'd never intentionally hurt me and that you'd only try in order to keep me safe from potential harm. I'm not leaving you alone. But feel free to still try and make me."

"God, you're so stubborn!" yelled Grant, grinding his teeth together angrily. "Just go, alright?! Get outta here already!"

"Come on, G.W., you can do better than that" said Skye, locking her eyes onto his. "You'll fail in getting me to leave regardless of what you say though. Because there's no way I'm leaving you at the mercy of Chief."

"Who the hell is Chief?" asked Grant, quirking a brow. "What the hell are you even talking about?"

"Do you remember that night back in my van when you asked me if we'd be friends forever?" asked Skye, seeing him nod at her in response. "You're words were reminiscent of Copper from The Fox and the Hound, which is why I replied just like Tod did. You stole them straight from the movie, Grant, I know you did."

"You locked onto that, huh?" said Grant, failing to hold back his laugh.

"It was one of my favourite movies growing up" said Skye, smiling. "I always saw myself in Tod."

"It was one of my favourites growing up too" said Grant, also smiling. "I could see myself in Copper sometimes."

"Then you should know by now who Chief is" said Skye.

"Chief would fit my older brother more, not John..." said Grant, quickly trailing off, as the last person he wanted to talk about was his older brother.

"We're friends forever, G.W." said Skye, smiling at him again. "We're best friends. And best friends don't leave each other behind."

"I don't deserve a friend like you" said Grant, looking away from her sadly. "I'm toxic, Skye. I'm just going to hurt you in the end. You need to get away from me while you still can."

"There's nothing toxic about you, Grant" said Skye, as she closed the distance between them and tilted his face back to face her own. "But there will be if you stay with John."

"It's nothing that I don't deserve" said Grant in an almost whisper.

"You deserve to be happy. You deserve to live your life however you choose to live it" said Skye softly. "Believe in yourself. Have faith in yourself. You pick your own path and your own destiny. No one else."

"My fate is already set thanks to the life debt that I owe John" said Grant, sighing deeply. "There's nothing I can do about it."

"Yes there is. Because nothing is ever set in stone" said Skye. No matter what it took she was determined to get through to him even if it took her all night. "Your fate is what YOU make it and only YOU. So choose a different fate, Grant. What do you want?"

"I don't know..." answered Grant honestly, his voice breaking. "...no one's ever asked me what I want before."

"No one's ever truly cared about you like I do before" smiled Skye. "You're no longer alone in this big bad world, Grant Ward. Because you have me now. And I'm not going anywhere. I promise you. Like it or not but you're totally stuck with me."

"I don't understand, Skye. Why won't you leave me?!" asked Grant, his tears he'd been trying his best to contain slowly start to fall down his cheeks, as he looked at Skye standing before him. He was now near breaking point, but she just appeared stronger than ever to him.

"Because you're the Copper to my Tod and the Hound to my Fox" smiled Skye, as she closed the remaining distance between them and pulled him into her arms for a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as she did so. She smiled even more the moment she felt Grant wrap his own arms around her waist just as tightly, while burying his face into the crook of her neck. "But unlike them we're gonna have the better ending."


	7. Like Bonnie And Clyde

**Sorry on the delay for this chapter but I've been planning out the final few chapters to this fic since I expanded it to be a longer story. So at that to the guest reviewer that asked me how many chapters they'll be there is now to be 20 altogether. I've been writing as many as I can out for this fic while planning out the rest, so no worries as I know exactly where this story is heading and all extra chapters will be written and completed shortly :D (Just bear with me as I've more than one ongoing fic so I write for a whole bunch in my spare time xD)**

**Anyway, I think ya'll will enjoy this chapter cuz after this things are gonna start getting, well... *my lips are sealed* xD Enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

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**Chapter 7: Like Bonnie And Clyde**

"I still can't believe I let you talk me into this" said Grant, sighing, as he rested his head back against the pillows of the hospital bed he was lying in.

"Well it was either that or wait for you to become seriously ill on me due to your bullet wound becoming infected and giving you a high fever or something" said Skye from where she relaxed back in the chair beside his bed, chewing on a piece of strawberry chewing gum and casually flicking the pages of a magazine.

"I told you I would've been fine" said Grant, sighing again. "I could've done without being stuck in this horrible hospital gown."

"I would never have forgiven myself if I'd just let you sit back and suffer through the pain of a bullet wound" said Skye, shaking her head at him in slight frustration. "As for the hospital gown don't diss it as I think it makes you look cuter."

"I still can't believe I let you talk me into coming here" said Grant, glancing at her worriedly. "He could come back when I'm gone, Skye."

"Grant, chill. He told you he wasn't coming back for 3 months, right?" said Skye, glancing up at him and meeting his worry filled eyes. "You're fine, so chill."

"That's easy for you to say since you aren't the one that has to deal with him" said Grant, biting down on his bottom lip nervously.

"Neither do you" said Skye, sighing. "You just think that you do."

"Are we really going to start arguing about this again?" said Grant, furrowing his brows at her.

"If you wanna lose the argument again then yeah sure" shrugged Skye, as she returned to flicking through the magazine in her hands. "You know you can't win an argument against me. I'm the Queen of winning arguments!"

Grant just chuckled at that while smiling at her. "Okay, I'll give you that one. But I still can't help but worry that the longer I'm away from my campsite that he'll return for a surprise visit or something and find me gone once again. And then I'll be punished for leaving like I was the last time."

"You can leave whenever you want too, Grant. He doesn't own you or control you and I'm gonna keep on telling you that until you start believing it because that's what best friends do for each other" said Skye, smiling, as she looked up at him once again. "Not to mention if he ever hurts you again then I'll kill him."

"Knowing you as well as I do now I know you'd definitely try" laughed Grant, as he smiled back at her.

"Damn straight!" grinned Skye, as she flashed him a cheeky wink.

"So, tell me again how we're getting away with having me all patched up without having any insurance?" asked Grant, shifting slightly in the bed to get more comfortable while doing his best not to upset his side too much since it had been cleaned and dressed by a nurse.

"We're waiting on our dad to come to the hospital with his insurance and a lecture on why we shouldn't have been out deer hunting by ourselves with shotguns that we can accidentally shoot each other with" answered Skye with a grin.

"Is that what you honestly told reception when I was having my gunshot wound tended too?" asked Grant, quirking his brow at her.

"Yep!" grinned Skye, as she popped the 'p'. "I think on my feet and I'm very charming when I do it. Everyone at reception believed me instantly."

"I'm sure they did" chuckled Grant. "So we're brother and sister now?"

"Only for about another hour or so tops" replied Skye. "Then if you feel you can walk again after being poked and prodded so much from being all stitched up we'll hot tail it outta this joint."

"And back to my campsite" nodded Grant.

"Yeah, nice try!" snorted Skye. "After this I'm taking you to Starbucks where I work so we can get ourselves some lattes."

"Skye, I should really return to the campsite after we're done here, okay?" sighed Grant. "I don't need a latte."

"You're coming with me to Starbucks whether you like it or not!" said Skye, as she folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes at him. "I have to tell them that I won't be working my next shift."

"Why won't you be?" asked Grant curiously.

"Because I'll be taking care of you" smiled Skye. "Do you really think I'm just going to let you recover from being shot all by yourself?"

"You don't have to take care of me, Skye" said Grant, flashing her a small smile.

"Yes I do" said Skye, as she rose to her feet and sat on the bed beside him, taking his left hand in her own and squeezing it comfortingly. "Someone has too because I don't think anyone ever has before. Not properly anyway."

"It's not your job to take care of me though" said Grant softly, touched at how much Skye continued to care about him.

"It's your parents jobs to take care of you but we both know they failed at doing that" said Skye, squeezing his hand once more. "And no matter how much you may think it and want it John Garrett is never going to take care of you either."

"I'm not worth taking care of" sighed Grant. "That's why no one ever bothers to try and take care of me."

"No one until me that is" smiled Skye. "I'm going to take care of you over the next few days, okay? However a 16 year old girl can take care of a 16 year old boy that is anyway!"

"I'd like that if I'm honest" said Grant, smiling, as he finally squeezed her hand back. "And in return I'll take care of you however I can too."

"I know you will" smiled Skye, as she moved to lie beside him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Because you already do."

"I promise you that if I can then I'll always look after you, Simply Skye" smiled Grant, as he wrapped his arm even tighter around her shoulders and kissed her tenderly on her forehead.

"Good to know, G.W." smiled Skye, as she rested her head on his chest and cuddled closer to him.

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Over an hour later Grant and Skye successfully managed to sneak out of the hospital without being stopped by any doctors or nurses enquiring about their nonexistent father and even more nonexistent insurance money. Once they'd successfully sneaked away and made it back to Skye's van they soon made their way to Starbucks so Skye could ask for some time off, which she was granted, before they then sat down for a latte each.

Grant soon forgot about his past eagerness to return to his campsite as he instead simply enjoyed spending his time with Skye and hanging out with her somewhere other than the boring woods of Wyoming. Whenever he was with Skye he felt like he could just completely forget the world around him. She was his best friend and continued to be there for him whenever he needed her the most. He also hoped deep down that she could perhaps one day be something a lot more to him since he was slowly but surely falling for her and hoped above hope that she felt the same way about him. It was slowly becoming more apparent to Grant that the person he owed more and more to these last few days was Skye. And if he was truly honest with himself then he'd rather owe everything to Skye than John Garrett.

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After spending the day together at Starbucks and wandering around the town and shops they soon found their way back to Grant's campsite when the night started to set in, Buddy in tow, as they sat side by side in front of the campfire that Grant had lit up in order to keep them both warm.

"I had a pretty good day today" said Grant, as he glanced over towards Skye and smiled at her softly.

"Me too" said Skye, smiling softly back at him. "It's nice to spend time away from the boring old woods."

"Yeah, I agree with you, it definitely is" nodded Grant. "We'll have to keep on doing it."

"You mean you're willing to actually risk spending more time away from here while never knowing when Mr. Crazy will show up again?" asked Skye, smirking at him slightly.

"He won't be back for at least another 3 months" said Grant, still smiling at her. "At least that's what he told me. I believe him too. He enjoys coming and going as he pleases so I guess I'm starting to see more and more that why can't I do the same?"

"Who are you and what have you done with the Grant Ward that I know?!" laughed Skye.

"I'm just trying to enjoy myself like you're always suggesting to me that I should" said Grant, as he shuffled closer to her so their shoulders were touching. "And I always do whenever I'm with you."

"I always enjoy myself when I'm with you too" said Skye, as she smiled brightly up at him. "I'm glad you don't seem to be as worried about things anymore."

"I'm still worried about everything" said Grant honestly. "But I'm only 16 and no 16 year old should have to worry about everything that I do, right?"

"You're absolutely right" nodded Skye. "Most teenagers our age are out having fun and being reckless without a care in the world. We deserve that too, y'know?"

"I know. I see that now and I want that too" said Grant, as he locked his eyes with Skye's. "So, hypothetically and all, where would we go?"

"What do you mean?" asked Skye, not quite understanding what he meant.

"I meant if we were to leave here..." replied Grant, trailing off, as he flashed her a bright smile. "...where would we go?"

"Are you actually contemplating leaving the woods?!" exclaimed Skye happily.

"I said hypothetically" chuckled Grant. "Just answer the question."

"Anywhere we want" answered Skye, shrugging her shoulders. "Wherever we end up."

"So even though you constantly try and get me to leave here all the time you've no idea where you actually want to take me?" laughed Grant, shaking his head.

"We don't need a destination, Grant! We're teenagers with the whole world at our feet and no parents around to stop us from doing whatever the hell we want!" said Skye. "We just hit the wide open road like Thelma and Louise and go wherever it takes us!"

"Thelma and Louise?! Really?!" exclaimed Grant. "I'm not a girl, Skye!"

"I couldn't think of another famous twosome that went on the run together, okay?!" huffed Skye, punching him lightly on his shoulder in a playful way.

"Lucky for you then that I can" grinned Grant, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Do tell, smarty pants" said Skye, as she stuck her own tongue out at him in retaliation.

"How about..." said Grant, stopping to wink at her a little cheekily before continuing. "...I'll be your Clyde if you'll be my Bonnie?"

"You do know that Bonnie and Clyde were murderers, right?" giggled Skye.

"I didn't mean we'd literally become like Bonnie and Clyde. I mainly meant in the going on the run together sense" chuckled Grant.

"You really mean that?" asked Skye, smiling. "You really wanna run away with me?"

"I should have run away with you a long time ago, Skye" smiled Grant. "I realised today that it was you all along and not John."

"What do you mean it was me all along?" asked Skye curiously.

"You're the one that saved me, Skye, not him" replied Grant, still smiling at her. "You've always been there for me since that rainy night I raided your van for food and you pulled out your flare gun on me. You've stuck by me when I haven't deserved it. You've been there for me when no one else ever has. You've shown me time and time again that you'll always be there for me, even when I try to shut you out and force you away. You're the one I owe everything too, Skye."

"I'll always be there for you, Grant, always. I promise. You can count on me no matter what" smiled Skye, as she took his left hand in her own and squeezed it reassuringly. "But you don't owe me anything. And I don't want you to start thinking that you do. Just because I've been there for you when you really needed someone doesn't mean you owe me everything. I've remained by your side because I wanted too, not because I wanted something from you in return. That's not how the world works, Grant. It's time you realised that. You owe me nothing, just like you owe John nothing."

"How is it possible I ever managed to meet someone as perfect as you?" smiled Grant, as he leaned ever closer to her.

"You just got lucky I guess" giggled Skye, her breath hitching a little in her throat as Grant leaned in just a little bit closer.

"Now that I've found you I don't ever wanna lose you, Skye, because I need you in my life" said Grant, as he reached out and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek with his thumb as he did so.

"I need you in my life just as much as you need me in yours too" said Skye truthfully, her heart now starting to beat rapidly.

"I fear I'll lose you if I stay here" whispered Grant, as he started to slowly close the distance between them.

"I fear I'll lose you too" whispered Skye right back.

"Then let's make sure that doesn't happen, okay?" said Grant, his lips now mere inches from hers.

"Any suggestions on how we do that?" asked Skye ever so quietly due to being ever so close to forgetting how to breathe altogether the closer Grant got to her lips. _Kiss me already, dammit!_

"Just like Bonnie and Clyde let's find a ride and ditch this town!" smiled Grant, as he finally closed the remaining distance between them and claimed Skye's lips to his own in a soft and tender kiss, smiling even more when Skye instantly kissed him back the same.

The soft and tender kiss that Grant and Skye shared together that night wasn't just their first kiss with each other, but it was also the first kiss they'd ever shared with anyone. It was a kiss that had all but instantly managed to take their breath away. Neither of them knew deep down if they were even kissing each other properly, since they had no prior experiences to compare it with, but regardless they couldn't deny the fact that they had to be doing at least something right since they both allowed small moans to escape them while their kiss deepened, with the two of them soon threading their hands through each other's hair and pulling each other closer, neither one wanting to be the first to break their very first kiss and not even for any much needed air. However, they were eventually forced to stop kissing when Buddy decided to jump between them and demand some attention too.

* * *

_Later that night..._

When John Garrett returned for a surprise visit that he'd planned on doing all along to see if his young protégé was obeying his orders he'd instead found Grant long gone, along with Buddy. Everything he'd ever owned had been packed up and was nowhere in sight. All that was left behind was a single photograph lying beside the burned out camp fire.

Leaning down John picked up the photo and glanced down at it with an angry frown across his face. It was a photo he'd never seen before of a smiling Grant Ward who had his arms wrapped around a pretty and smiling young brunette, as they both looked directly at the camera. It was obviously a photo they'd taken themselves and only recently too. His frown still etched across his face John flipped the photo over and read the message that Grant had written on the back for him:

_Her name is Skye. We met not long after you left me all alone here a few months after you abandoned me. You told me when you returned to never develop any weaknesses. Well I guess I failed that lesson of yours, because Skye is my weakness and one I won't ever say goodbye too. By the time you find this photo we'll be long gone and that includes Buddy. I'll always be grateful to you for saving me from Juvie. But Skye is the one that truly saved me and was there for me when I really needed someone. I trust her more than I trust you, another lesson of yours I guess I've failed since you said never to trust anyone, and especially not you. I'm sorry, John, but this is goodbye. It's time I started living the life that I want for myself and right now the life that I really want is with Skye and Buddy. I know I'm only 16 but I now know what I want and it's not to spend god knows how many years living alone in the woods. Take care, John. _

As soon as he finished reading Grant's final farewell message John ripped the photo to shreds and tossed the pieces on to the fireless camp fire, his eyes blazing with nothing but pure anger. "You and your little girlfriend can run, boy, but you can't hide forever. Because if it's the last thing I ever do I'll find you again..._both of you._"


	8. It's Us Against The World

**So here's a speedier update (I think!) Hopefully you enjoy all that is come to next so feel free to let me know! :) Just an FYI for the phone call scene in this chapter the italics are to differentiate when the other person is talking (you'll know who and what I mean when you hit it). **

**To Alex (guest) ~ You asked me if Skye would be joining The Rising Tide and meeting Miles in this fic and the answer to both of those questions is no. Neither will be making appearances in this fic, as I've a completely different plan in regards to where this story is going and that isn't and won't be a part of it. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: It's Us Against The World**

The night that Grant had finally given in and agreed to leave the woods with Skye and Buddy he'd been extremely nervous thinking that John would turn up to ruin everything and stop him from going at the last minute. But luckily he hadn't, as they'd managed to successfully pack up everything at the campsite before making a run for Skye's van, jumping inside and taking off in the middle of the night. Grant had, however, left John a short farewell message on the back of a photo that Skye had taken of him with her only recently. He'd felt at the time that he'd at least owed him a goodbye of sorts, so leaving it on the back of the photograph at the time had seemed like a good idea. And Skye had agreed with him. But ever since they'd left he couldn't shake the feeling that it might not have been such a great idea at all, and that because of that simple photo John might find them, though Grant hoped more than anything that would never be the case and they'd now be free to live their lives however they pleased as the young teenagers they were. That they could just remain simply _free..._

* * *

Once they were finally far enough from the woods and as far away from John Garrett as they could get Skye eventually brought her van to a halt outside of a small motel where they could rest for the night in a proper double bed and not the tiny, small and cramped one that she had in the back of her van.

After booking her and Grant into a room for the night Skye then ever so sneakily sneaked Buddy into the room after them, since there was no way she was leaving him sleeping all alone in her van, figuring if anything he'd probably just bark throughout the entire night for being away from her and Grant for so long.

"I don't think dogs are allowed in the rooms" said Grant, as he closed and locked the door behind him.

"What the manager doesn't know can't possibly hurt him" said Skye, as she flopped on to the bed in the middle of the room and stretched out on her back. "Ahh this is the life!"

"You're easily pleased" laughed Grant, as he climbed on to the bed after Skye and layed down beside her.

"I'm just happy to finally be in a real bed for once and not sleeping in the back of my van or your tiny tent" said Skye, as she glanced over at him with a smile.

"I have to agree with you on that one" said Grant, as he smiled back at her.

"So what do we do now, G.W.?" asked Skye, as she continued to smile at him.

"I dunno" shrugged Grant. "Sleep? It's kinda late after all."

"I didn't mean what do we like right this second" laughed Skye. "I meant like what do we do next? When morning comes and all that."

"We hit the road again and we keep on going" said Grant, as he rolled on to his side and propped himself up with his elbow, leaning his head in the palm of his hand. "And we don't ever look back."

"I love that you're into the whole running away thing now" beamed Skye.

"That's because whenever I'm with you then I feel no fear and that there's nothing that I can't do" smiled Grant softly, reaching out his right hand to tenderly cup her cheek in the palm of his hand while using his thumb to rub gentle, soft circles back and forth. "You make me feel strong and like I can do anything."

"Because you can, Grant" said Skye, as she leaned into his tender touch with a contented smile. "You can do anything that you put your mind too."

"As long as I'm with you I feel like I can do anything as you bring out the best in me" said Grant, as he shuffled closer to her. "There's nowhere else that I want to be right now, because with you I finally feel like I belong."

"I feel the same way whenever I'm with you too" said Skye, her breathing coming out a little ragged due to Grant shuffling closer to her. "It's us against the world."

"There's no one else I'd rather have by my side than you while facing whatever the world has in store for me" said Grant honestly, as he dipped his head and claimed Skye's smiling lips with his own softly.

The moment that Grant kissed her Skye instantly responded and kissed him back, as she placed her hand at the back of his head, gliding her fingers through his hair while pulling him closer to her. Ever since they'd first kissed back at his campsite she'd been wondering when their second kiss would happen. She had feared that Grant might have regretted kissing her but was now beyond happy to find that he obviously didn't, and was instead more than happy to continue kissing her.

Grant couldn't help but smile like a right goofball while kissing Skye. He'd wanted to kiss her pretty much from the first moment he'd laid eyes on her that rainy night many months ago. Now that he'd finally took that chance and crossed that line with her he never wanted to stop.

"Can I ask you a question?" asked Skye between kisses.

"You can ask me anything" replied Grant between kisses.

"Where is this leading?" asked Skye, a small moan escaping her due to Grant deepening their kiss just a little.

"I'm guessing the inevitable talk that girls like to have about what we are to each other now" replied Grant with a small chuckle, as he continued to kiss her.

"And have you had that talk with many girls?" asked Skye curiously and a little tentatively.

"No" answered Grant quickly, as he pulled back from kissing her and locked his eyes onto her own. "I've never had that talk before. I just know that it happens, y'know, from watching movies and things like that."

"Was I your first kiss, G.W.?" beamed Skye, biting down on her bottom lip.

"Yes, you were" smiled Grant, hoping more than anything that he wasn't blushing. "Was I yours?"

Skye just nodded at him shyly, knowing fine well she was definitely blushing.

"Good to know" grinned Grant, as he hovered over her while leaning down to kiss her again. "Now I don't need to be jealous over anyone else."

"Right back at you on that one" grinned Skye, as she leaned towards him and met his lips halfway with her own.

"I could kiss you forever" murmured Grant against her lips, slipping one of his arms under her back and running his free hand up and down her leg.

"I would happily let you" whispered Skye between kisses, bringing her arms up to wrap around his neck while hoisting her leg up that Grant was running his hand up and down so he had better access to continue doing so.

"Are we doing all of this right?" asked Grant, breaking their kiss to stare down at her.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?!" giggled Skye. "We're doing what comes naturally, so yeah, I'd say we're doing this right."

"So we keep on going?" asked Grant with a smile.

"Umm, well, to a certain point sure" replied Skye, chewing on her bottom lip nervously.

"Maybe we should stop now and try to get some sleep" suggested Grant, as he dipped his head and kissed her softly. "We definitely need to talk about a lot of stuff before we go any further."

"I hate to break it to you, G.W., but first base is as far as you're gonna get for a good long while!" smirked Skye. "I'm a lady, okay? I may not always act like one but I still deserve to be treated like one at the end of the day. You're not getting lucky until you've treat me pretty much like a Princess for a good couple of months, hell maybe even years!"

"You're going to be a high maintenance girlfriend aren't you?" asked Grant, quirking his brows at her, while chuckling. "And I wasn't aiming for getting lucky as you put it. I have no intention of rushing our relationship."

"Good to know" said Skye, as she smiled up at him brightly. "Sooo...I'm your girlfriend now?"

"If you want to be" smiled Grant. "I'd like you to be. We'll still be friends too, but the kind that dates each other."

"Exclusively" said Skye, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Who else am I going to date but you?" sighed Grant, shaking his head at her.

"No one, hence the exclusively part" said Skye, as she flashed him a wink.

"There's no one that I want to be with more than you, Skye, and there never will be" said Grant, kissing the tip of her nose tenderly. "You're the only girl for me from here on out. Because like you said earlier it's us against the world."

"You're the only guy that I want to be with too" said Skye, giggling at the tender kiss to her nose as it tickled. "They'll never be anyone but you. I won't ever allow it."

"Neither will I" smiled Grant. "So...we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

"Nope!" smirked Skye. "You gotta ask me first and make it all official!"

"Skye..." sighed Grant exasperatedly, as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. "...you're incorrigible!"

"Quit using fancy big words on me and just ask me the question already!" sighed Skye, as she whacked him on his back playfully. "Or I'll never kiss you again!"

Grant immediately jerked his head up at hearing that to frown down at her, which quickly turned into a cheeky grin. "Skye I-still-don't-know-your-last-name, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, Grant Ward, I'll happily be your girlfriend" giggled Skye, as she leaned towards him and graced his now smiling lips with a kiss. "As for my last name I don't have one, not really anyway. I'm an orphan which you know. The nuns at the orphanage gave me a name which I hated so I changed my name to Skye when I left, as I've just always really loved the name Skye. So there you go, that's my tale of woe."

"You're so adorable" chuckled Grant, kissing her again. "You'll have a last name again one day. But in the meantime if you ever need one for something you can use mine."

"Thank you" said Skye, her cheeks going rosy red from blushing. "That means a lot to me that you'd let me do that."

"You're welcome" said Grant, as he smiled down at her. "All we have is each other, Skye. So what's mine is yours, okay?"

"Okay" nodded Skye. "And right back at you."

"Look out world because here we come..." grinned Grant, as he leaned closer to her.

"...just like Bonnie and Clyde!" giggled Skye, grinning the moment she saw Grant smile at her for using his previous reference of them being like Bonnie and Clyde together, before their lips then finally met once more in a tender and sweet kiss.

* * *

Over the course of the next month they continued to live on the road, driving from state to state and staying wherever they ended up after becoming tired from driving. Luckily for the two of them Skye had been quite good at saving money and had subsequently saved up a fair amount from her time spent working at Starbucks, so they were always able to buy food and toiletries for themselves and Buddy whenever they needed them. Occasionally they'd book into the odd motel when they wanted the comfort and security of a proper bed or a nice, clean shower. But mostly they'd spend their nights sleeping in Skye's tiny bed in her van in order to save money. They both knew that eventually they'd have to choose a place to settle down in so they could earn some more money to keep on surviving like they had been. But until then they'd both come to the mutual agreement that until they absolutely needed too that they'd continue to keep on the move so they could never be found, because even though they both highly doubted it would happen they both still feared it, which after awhile started to truly make them feel like Bonnie and Clyde being constantly on the run together, minus the whole cold blooded murderers part though.

When it came to their budding relationship they took everything slowly, as it was all so new to them. Neither Grant nor Skye had been in a relationship before, as they were both still so young and had never experienced the ever building feelings that they felt growing for each other with each passing day. The most they ever allowed themselves to indulge in were many passionate make out sessions and light fondling, while they slowly got to know each other better on a more intimate level. Sex was out of the question with both of them admitting to each other one night that they were nowhere near ready for that step anytime soon. They had their whole lives ahead of them before they even contemplated going down that point of no return with each other.

They eventually settled down in New York City after a month on the road. Skye had fallen completely in love with the city after arriving and had begged Grant to agree to stay for longer than they'd planned too. He'd eventually agreed it could be a good idea, as long as they both got part time jobs while they were there in order to earn some money for when they next decided to move on.

And purely because Skye loved it so much, along with having prior experience of working there, they'd both ended up working at none other than Starbucks.

* * *

_1 month later..._

"Excuse me, miss?" called out a male customer to where Skye was clearing away a table near to him, making her lift her head up and smile at him. "Hi. What can I do for you?" she asked him.

"I was wondering if I could get a refill on my coffee?" he smiled.

"Of course. Just let me clear this table and I'll be right with you on that!" replied Skye cheerfully, as she resumed piling plates and cups onto a tray.

Once she was done and had deposited them in the dishwasher in the kitchen Skye returned to the customer's table and refilled his coffee for him with a smile. "There you go! Hopefully it'll help you get through whatever that stack of paperwork is you've got with you."

"Thank you. And I'm hoping that too!" he chuckled. "It seems my work is never done."

"Well if you need anything else just let me know" smiled Skye. "My name is Skye so just yell that if you want another refill on the coffee."

"Skye? That's a pretty name" he said, settling his eyes onto her. "Not one you hear often. At least I don't."

"Uhh, thanks" said Skye, smiling at him once more, as she then turned and walked off without saying anything else. "Hey, Grant?"

"What's up?" said Grant, as he glanced over towards his girlfriend when she approached him behind the counter where he was making a latte for a customer.

"Do you recognise that guy on the table over in the far corner?" asked Skye, indicating who she meant with a tilt of her head in his direction. "He seems pretty friendly. But, I dunno, I'm just getting a certain vibe off of him."

"I've never seen him before in my life" said Grant, as he glanced over at the man to find him staring at them, who quickly averted his attention back to the pile of papers in front of him. "All I know is he's been here for a couple of hours now just doing paperwork. Like you said he seems pretty friendly. Don't worry too much, babe."

"Yeah, you're probably right" smiled Skye, leaning over and lightly kissing him before returning back to clearing away the tables.

A few minutes later Skye noticed the man rising from his chair, papers now all packed away in his briefcase, as he got ready to leave. "Finally done with all of the paperwork?" she asked him in order to be polite and sociable like she was with all of her customers.

"I wish I could say yes but I can't" chuckled the man softly. "I have to go though. I've a phone call that I need to make before getting back to my office. I'm sure I'll be back another day though. Take care, Skye, and thank you for the coffee and the friendly service."

"You're welcome" smiled Skye, as she nodded at him before returning to Grant behind the counter. "Yo, Grant! I'm still waiting on a mocha for table 7!"

"And I'm working as fast as I can with only two hands!" huffed Grant, as he flashed her a scowl.

* * *

As the man walked towards the door all he could do was chuckle at the playful bickering he could hear behind him from the two young teenagers. Looking over his shoulder and casting them both one final look he then stepped outside, closed the door behind him and pulled out his cell phone to make a call.

"_Long time no chat! To what do I owe the pleasure of your call all of a sudden?" _said the male voice on the other end of the line when he finally answered.

"I just thought you'd like to know that those two teenagers you've been looking for are working for Starbucks in New York City."

"_Are you absolutely sure it's them?! I've been searching for those bloody teenagers for well over 2 months now! So if I come all the way out to NY and it's not them you'll be in my bad books along with them!"_

"Trust me it's them. It has to be them from the description you gave me of them so I could keep a lookout for them on your behalf like a good friend would. The girl told me her name was Skye and before I left she called the boy Grant. It's them, John. I found your runaways. I'll keep an eye on them for you until you get here. Maybe I'll be able to follow them and find out where they live. But only if you finally tell me why you've been trying to track them down for the last 2 months and why they are so important to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"_Yeah, yeah, I'll tell you whatever you want to know as long as you don't lose sight of them. I don't really care about the girl, just the boy. But still that girl is in for a whole world of trouble from me regardless when I finally get my hands on her!"_

Furrowing his brows slightly at that last part from his long time friend he couldn't help but flash a curious glance back towards Starbucks and the two young teenagers he could see laughing and joking with each other through the glass window. _What can two teenagers possibly have done to John to make him so angry and want to find them so badly? Especially that girl. She doesn't seem like she could hurt a fly. Perhaps I should never have told him they were here..._

"_Earth to Phil! Are you still with me?! Answer me, Coulson!"_

"Yeah, I'm still here, John. Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on them until you get here. They aren't going anywhere on my watch. And that includes with you until you tell me why they are so important to you."

And with that he hung up the phone and returned to where he'd parked his beloved 1967 Chevrolet Corvette.


	9. Learning Who To Trust

**Speedy updates are fun when I can do them! :D So I'm glad everyone enjoyed the introduction of Coulson at the end of the last chapter as it had been my plan and direction for some time now :) Here's hoping you all enjoy this newest chapter as well as another AOS character making an appearance I'd planned on for awhile too, as I absolutely adore her and wanted to include her too. Now that they are both involved so will a few more characters later on, but I'm not saying who, as you'll just have to wait and see to find out who they are and what roles they'll be playing. **

**Feel free to let me know what you think! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Learning Who To Trust**

Phil Coulson was currently sitting in the front seat of his beloved 1962 Chevrolet Corvette, whom he affectionately called Lola, waiting for the two young teenagers who were in the Starbucks not far from him to finish their shift and emerge from the establishment. He knew that it would take his friend, John Garrett, until at least tomorrow to arrive in New York, since he was currently on a mission, which he'd seemed all too eager to just up and leave after he'd called him and informed him of the two teenagers whereabouts he'd been searching for nonstop for the past 2 months. Back when he'd first given him a brief description of them and told him to keep a lookout for them Phil had instantly been intrigued as to why, since John had failed to let him in on the reason as to why they were so important to him, instead simply telling him that it was a personal reason and if he ever found them again then he'd consider telling him. So he'd kept an ever watchful eye out like a good friend would. But now that he'd finally found them his curiosity over John's personal interest in two 16 year olds had slowly started to get the better of him more and more. He'd eventually called a close friend of his and fellow agent of the government organization that he and John both worked for, S.H.I.E.L.D., to do some digging on the two teenagers and get back to him with whatever she happened to find out about them.

Phil was soon pulled from his thoughts by the passenger seat door opening, as someone slid into the empty seat beside him, instantly making him glance over to see who it was, soon relaxing and smiling at one of his closest friends and who he'd called earlier. "Did you forget how the phone works, Agent Hill?"

"Of course I didn't" said Agent Maria Hill, as she slid into the passenger seat beside Phil, closing the door after her and looking to him. "I figured you'd want to know what I found out in person and not over the phone."

"What did you find out?" asked Phil curiously. "I'm listening."

"The boy is called Grant Douglas Ward" replied Maria, handing over the two files she'd brought with her to him. "He went missing from a Juvenile Detention Centre back in his hometown of Plymouth, Massachusetts over 8 months ago now."

"He was there for attempting to burn down his house while his older brother Maynard Ward was still inside..." said Phil, as he read the file he now held in his hands. "...so he escaped from Juvie instead of dealing with the fallout."

"Yes and no" said Maria. "He had help."

"Who helped him?" asked Phil, glancing back up and looking at her.

"A handful of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by none other than Agent John Garrett" replied Maria, furrowing her brows. "It was covered up. The agents that assisted Agent Garrett were bound to secrecy and the whole incident was redacted when it came to files and paperwork."

"How did you find the information out if it was redacted?" asked Phil, quirking his brow at her.

"I have my ways and that's all you need to know" smirked Maria. "Director Fury might have helped me a little bit too."

"Meaning you had him use his Level 10 Security Clearance to get you the information that you required" chuckled Phil.

"He wasn't exactly thrilled that the information was redacted behind his back and he's now determined to find out how Agent Garrett even did it in the first place" explained Maria. "Once he knows he said he'll get back to me."

"And the girl? What's her story?" asked Phil, as he picked up Skye's file and started leafing through it.

"She's the complicated one" sighed Maria. "Her file is also another redacted one, only this time at the hands of Director Fury himself. What you hold in your hand is the only information he would release to me as my security clearance, as well as your own, doesn't clear us for the rest of her information."

"So all we know is that her real name is Mary Sue Poots and she's a runaway from St. Agnes' Orphanage" said Phil aloud, soon furrowing his brows as he continued to read more. "S.H.I.E.L.D. already had her on their radar due to being the ones responsible for placing her in the orphanage and moving her around constantly. But why? It doesn't say why."

"Like I said the rest of the information is above our security clearance" answered Maria. "Director Fury told me to bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"So he can send her back to the orphanage?" asked Phil, jerking his head back up.

"So I can question her as to why Agent Garrett is interested in her and even knows about her" said Maria, as she locked her eyes with his. "You're meant to take in the boy and ask him the same questions."

"They're only 16, Maria" sighed Phil, brows furrowed in thought. "What would Agent Garrett want with two 16 year olds?"

"That's what we've been tasked to find out" replied Maria, furrowing her own brows. "Preferably before Agent Garrett arrives in New York and attempts to get to them."

"John is my friend but sometimes I get the feeling there's something shady about him" said Phil, as he cast his eyes away from her and towards Starbucks. "He told me on the phone that he only really cared about the boy but the girl was still in for a whole world of trouble when he got his hands on her."

"I don't like the sound of that" said Maria worriedly.

"Neither do I" said Phil, also worriedly. "I regret calling him now and telling him where they were until I knew more about why he's been hell bent on searching for them for the past 2 months."

"Whatever his reasons are they have nothing to do with S.H.I.E.L.D." said Maria, as she too cast her eyes towards Starbucks.

"It never crossed my mind this whole time to inform Director Fury of Agent Garrett's personal interest in two teenagers" sighed Phil.

"Don't worry about it too much, Phil" said Maria, as she pushed open the passenger seat door and stepped out. "Let's just bring them in and we'll go from there."

"Good idea" nodded Phil, as he pushed open the driver's seat door and stepped outside. "I have no idea what kind of can of worms I've inadvertently opened by informing Agent Garrett of their whereabouts. But what I do know is that until I know absolutely everything then I feel the need to protect them."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded on protection after all" smiled Maria, as she set off walking towards Starbucks with Phil following. "So you've got the right frame of mind there. That and you just like protecting people. You always have."

"It's one of the reasons that I joined S.H.I.E.L.D. in the first place" smiled Phil softly. "There's just something not quite right with why Agent Garrett would be so invested in two teenagers. So I intend to get answers before I allow him anywhere near them again."

"You and me both" smiled Maria, turning to enter Starbucks when she approached the door, only to be instantly met with a young brunette girl barrelling straight into her.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Skye, as she steadied herself on her feet along with the woman she'd barrelled right into. "I wasn't looking where I was going!"

"It's quite alright" laughed Maria softly. "No harm done."

"You can blame me if you like" said Grant, as he came to stand beside Skye, taking her hand in his own and squeezing it. "I distracted her."

"Like I said no harm done" smiled Maria.

"If you say so" smiled Skye, as she then glanced from the woman before her and settled her gaze to the man behind her, instantly recognizing him. "Back for more coffee already?"

"No, not quite" chuckled Phil, as he came to stand beside Maria. "I was hoping to talk to you actually. Both of you if you don't mind."

"What did you want to talk to us about?" asked Skye curiously, slipping her arm around Grant's waist while glancing at him.

"Who are you?" asked Grant suspiciously, wrapping his own arm around Skye's waist protectively while narrowing his eyes at the two strangers before him.

"My name is Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D." answered Phil, flashing them his badge he'd pulled from his pocket, before turning to Maria beside him. "This is my colleague, Agent Maria Hill, also of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"We'd like you both to come with us" said Maria, as she too flashed them her badge. "Can you do that?"

"You're here to take me back to John aren't you?" asked Grant, quickly swallowing the nervous lump that had formed in his throat. "Please don't. We just want him to leave us alone."

"I assure you that we aren't here to take you to Agent John Garrett" said Phil as reassuringly as he could, instantly picking up on how nervous the two of them became the moment he'd mentioned who he and Maria worked for. He'd honestly expected them both to not even know about S.H.I.E.L.D., but it was now obvious to him that John must have mentioned it to them at one point, or at least to Grant when he'd sprung him from Juvie with the help of some other agents. "We just want to talk to you."

"How do we know that we can trust you?" asked Skye tentatively, as she held as tightly as she could onto Grant. "Because the last person that we met from S.H.I.E.L.D., well that Grant met, proved to be far from trustworthy and just abusive instead."

"Agent Garrett was abusive towards you?" asked Maria, facing Grant, her tone of voice full of slight shock.

"Yeah, a little bit" answered Grant nervously, still unsure of if he really could trust Agent Hill or Agent Coulson.

"More like a lot" muttered Skye under her breath.

"I promise you both that me and my colleague aren't going to hurt you in any way, shape or form" said Phil, smiling at them warmly. "You can trust me. So at that will you please come with us so you can tell us exactly what happened?"

"I doubt we really have a choice" said Skye, glancing back and forth between them. "So I guess we're going with you both regardless."

"I only will on one condition" said Grant, as he faced Phil straight on, while tightening his grip around Skye's waist. "I stay with Skye at all times. I won't you let you separate us. If you want to question us then you question us together, not apart. Understood?"

"I understand" nodded Phil, chuckling softly at the teenage boy standing before him with a determined look in his eyes over his need to protect the teenage girl that was clinging tightly to his side. "We won't separate you."

"Good. Because I won't be parted from her without a fight" said Grant, as he glanced down at Skye with a comforting smile. "She's under my protection."

Skye beamed up at her adorable boyfriend while allowing a small giggle to escape her, as she did her best to resist the urge to lean up and kiss him since they were still in the company of the two agents. "You're my hero, G.W."

"Always" smiled Grant, kissing her forehead tenderly, before turning back to face a now smirking Phil Coulson. "John told me never to trust anyone, not even him. Yet I foolishly did. So I'm hoping that I'm not making another foolish mistake in trusting you too."

"I know you may not believe me right now, but you're not making a mistake in trusting me" smiled Phil reassuringly. "You can trust me and Agent Hill not to hurt you. Hurting people is not what S.H.I.E.L.D. is all about."

"It's based on protection" said Maria, flashing her own reassuring smile towards them both. "That's what we're trying to do in regards to the two of you. Protect you."

"Someone should really tell John Garrett that because he's definitely forgotten that protection doesn't mean abandoning a 16 year old teenage boy in the middle of the woods, shooting him and then beating him for 3 days straight afterwards instead of getting him medical attention!" yelled Skye angrily.

"Skye!" exclaimed Grant, squeezing her waist tightly. "The street is not the best place to have this conversation!"

"We need to get them to the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. base right away and Agent Garrett is to be kept far away from them both at all costs until further notice" said Phil to Maria, instantly shocked over what he'd just heard and wanting to protect the two teenagers before him now more than ever, as he then started ushering Grant and Skye towards his car. "Inform Director Fury en route and tell him that Grant Ward and Mary Sue Poots are now in my custody until I deem otherwise."

"Duly noted" nodded Maria, as she pulled out her cell phone. "I'll call him right now."

"Whoa! Hey! No, okay, NO! Gosh, how do you even know that name already?!" said Skye, as she came to a dead bolt stop right in front of Phil and jabbed him in his chest with her finger. "You will not call me Mary Sue! My name is Skye! We gotta be clear on that, dude! Say it with me now...SKYE!"

Grant couldn't help but snort loudly, soon nearly choking on said snort. "No wonder you wouldn't tell me your real name! It's really Mary Sue?!"

"Unless you wish to find yourself without a girlfriend then you'll forget you ever found out, alright?!" said Skye sternly, as she faced her boyfriend and folded her arms across her chest crossly.

"Sure thing, babe, sure thing" smiled Grant, while biting down on his tongue to keep himself from snorting again or saying anything else.

"I promise from now on that I'll call you Skye" said Phil, failing to resist a small chuckle from escaping him. "As for how I know your name I'll tell you when we get to a secure place. I'll answer all of your questions if you answer mine, okay? I think that's only fair after all."

"Okay, yeah, that does sound fair" nodded Skye, glancing to Grant and seeing him nodding in agreement too.

"Good" smiled Phil, as he ushered them into his car. "So let's get going because the sooner the better."

"I talked to Director Fury and informed him of what we know so far" said Maria, as she walked over to Phil's side. "He wants me to return to him to discuss a few things in person while you take them in for questioning. He agreed you should keep an eye on them and that Agent Garrett needs to be kept far from them until we know more about his keen interest in them."

"Sounds like a plan" nodded Phil, as he walked around his car to the driver's seat and sat down, closing the door behind him. "Keep me informed of anything else you find out and whatever he tells you."

"I will" said Maria, as she glanced to Grant and Skye in the backseat, noting they were clasping each other's hands tightly, before she then turned her attention back towards Phil. "Take care of them, Phil."

"You know that I will" said Phil, nodding at her before she walked off and back towards her own car.

"You're one of the good guys aren't you?" asked Skye from where she sat on the backseat. "I can sense that about you."

"Me too" said Grant from where he sat beside Skye. "I hope we're not wrong about that."

"I promise you that you have my word..." said Phil, smiling at them both, as he then turned to face the road and start up Lola's engine. "...I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you."

As the car pulled away from Starbucks all Grant and Skye could do was smile at each other nervously, fearful over what fate now had in store for them both and if they would be able to stay together like they currently hoped that they could, as they never wanted to be parted. But regardless of everything else that they still currently feared they knew that when it came to Agent Phil Coulson there was just something about him that made him different from everyone else they'd ever met in their short lives.

_They knew they could trust him._


	10. The Truth Is Out

**I enjoyed writing this chapter out since it's purely just Grant, Skye & Phil so here's hoping ya'll enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think! :) Next chapter will see the return of Maria Hill along with some others but as for who I'm not saying... xD**

**To the guest who mentioned my mistake in regards to the year Lola was made ~ no worries at all and thank you for correcting me as I shall alter it! I didn't mind at all. Truthfully I think I was getting her year mixed up with Dean's Impala from Supernatural lol**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Truth Is Out**

"How long are we going to be here for?" asked Skye, as she settled her gaze upon Agent Philip Coulson. After she'd left with him along with Grant he'd brought them both to a secure S.H.I.E.L.D. base and to a small interrogation like room, which is where they were now currently seated across from him with only a table resting between the three of them.

"As long as it takes to get to the bottom of a few things" replied Phil with a warm smile. "You're safe here so don't worry, okay?"

"We trust you. We really do" said Skye, smiling back. "It's just that we have this dog called Buddy and with us being here then he's all alone with no one to, y'know, make sure he gets fed a little later on and things like that."

"Where is Buddy?" asked Phil, furrowing his brows. "I never saw him at Starbucks with the two of you."

"That's because he wasn't" answered Grant, glancing over at him. "We left him in our van which is parked around the back of Starbucks. So technically he was there with us. He just wasn't inside because animals aren't allowed on the premises."

"We always take it in turns to check on him every hour to make sure he's okay" said Skye. "When you and Agent Hill approached us we'd just finished our shift for the day and we were about to head back to our van. But with everything that's happened since we just totally forgot about him. Gosh, we're such horrible people!"

"You're not horrible people, Skye" chuckled Phil softly. "You were both just hit with a really big distraction. If it makes you both rest more easily then I'll have an agent go to Starbucks and retrieve Buddy from your van to bring him here. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great!" exclaimed Skye and Grant in unison, making them both glance at each other in slight surprise.

"I think we spend too much time together to be thinking the exact same thing" laughed Skye.

"I wouldn't have it any other way" laughed Grant, while smiling at her and giving her hand a squeeze underneath the table where they were doing their best at discreetly holding hands.

"Just so you know I've sent a text to a fellow agent to go and retrieve Buddy from your van" said Phil, distracting them from each other and making them both glance over towards him, as he pocketed his cell phone in his trouser pocket. "She says she doesn't mind retrieving him and she'll have him here soon."

"Thank you, Agent Coulson, as we really appreciate it" smiled Grant. "We really love Buddy and we just don't want him to think we forgot about him."

"And next to each other Buddy is all me and Grant have in this world" said Skye, feeling Grant squeeze her hand again under the table as she admitted that aloud.

"Don't worry about it. Buddy will be fine and will be joining you both here shortly" said Phil, while looking at them both a little sadly due to what Skye had admitted to him. "I'm sorry. You both deserve so much more in life. You're both so young. How is it possible you don't have families out there that are worrying about you?"

"I grew up in an orphanage where I was constantly moved around from foster family to foster family my whole life because none of them ever wanted to keep me" said Skye, shrugging. "I guess I was just never a good enough fit."

"You're a good enough fit for me and I'm never letting you go" said Grant sincerely, as he smiled at Skye who instantly smiled back. "As for me, well, I don't really want to talk about my family but trust me when I say that they don't care about me, that they never have and that they won't be looking for me."

"I'm sorry to hear all of that" said Phil sadly, as he truly did feel sorry for the both of them in that moment. Unbeknownst to Skye he knew that for some reason S.H.I.E.L.D. was the reason that she was constantly moved from foster home to foster home throughout her whole life. As for Grant he'd yet to learn more about his family history from the few bits of information that was currently available in his file. But if he'd come from a family that was so bad he'd felt the need to burn down his family home while his older brother was still inside then Phil could only imagine what kind of a nightmare he'd had the misfortune of growing up with. "I do truly believe that you both deserved more while growing up."

"Thank you, Agent Coulson, but it really doesn't matter anymore" said Skye. "We're free now to do as we please. Once that John guy leaves us alone for good that is."

"Since you mentioned John I was hoping that maybe now you'll answer some questions I have in regards to him and how the two of you know him?" asked Phil.

Grant and Skye merely cast each other a wary look while giving each other's hand a tight squeeze, as they then turned their attention back to Phil and nodded at him silently.

"Before we start I want you both to know that whatever you tell me won't get back to Agent Garrett because as far as he's currently aware the two of you aren't even currently here" said Phil, glancing back and forth between them. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is based on protection and that's exactly what I'm trying to do right now. I'm trying to protect you, along with Agent Hill who is currently in a meeting with our boss, Director Fury. You have my word that the three of us will protect you. Okay?"

"We trust you, Agent Coulson" nodded Skye, smiling softly.

"I trust you more than I trust John that's for sure" sighed Grant. "You've yet to shoot me after all."

"I assure you I have absolutely no plans to shoot you, Grant" said Phil, frowning. "Did Agent Garrett really do that to you?"

"Yeah, he did" nodded Grant.

"Okay, before we get on to why he did that how about you tell me how you came to even know him in the first place?" asked Phil, as he faced Grant.

"I was in Juvie back in my hometown of Massachusetts" replied Grant, as he shifted in his seat uncomfortably when mentioning his brief stint in Juvie. "He showed up one day and offered me a onetime offer because I simply intrigued him."

"What was the offer?" asked Phil, quirking a brow.

"He told me that my parents were pressing charges against me for arson and attempted murder while my older brother was petitioning the courts to have me tried as an adult" said Grant, as he explained to Phil what John had told him. "He said I could either spend the next few years locked up in a cage blaming my parents and my mean older brother for my problems or I could go with him and he'd teach me how to be a man. He said it would be the hardest thing that I ever did but no one would ever mess with me again. He only gave me 10 seconds to make my decision."

"And so naturally you went with him" said Phil, while furrowing his brows at all he was hearing. "I understand why you did. What he told you would have made anyone go with him. What else did he tell you?"

"He told me that I shouldn't trust anyone and especially not him" said Grant. "But I allowed myself to trust him. I kinda had too in order to leave with him since he was breaking me out of there after all. But continuing to trust him afterwards was my biggest mistake."

"How so?" asked Phil encouragingly.

"Because he abandoned me in the middle of the Wyoming woods for 6 months with only Buddy for company since he was John's dog and he left him with me" answered Grant, feeling Skye squeeze his hand comfortingly in hers. "But as far as I'm concerned Buddy is my dog now, as well as Skye's."

"And how did you end up meeting Skye exactly? I'm guessing she wasn't in Juvie with you at the time" asked Phil, as he glanced from Grant to Skye.

"I found him raiding my van one night for food when he ran out and got hungry" replied Skye, flashing a smile in Grant's direction. "I threatened to flare his ass with my flare gun if he didn't surrender. We've been best friends ever since."

Phil couldn't help but chuckle at the mention of the flare gun. "Best friends, huh? I get the impression the two of you are a little bit more than that lately."

"Yeah, well, things change..." said Skye, shrugging, as she trailed off.

"...but we're still best friends too, even if we happen to be ones that also date each other" said Grant, continuing on from Skye.

"There's nothing wrong with going from best friends to more, as that's how some of the best relationships start out" smiled Phil. "I know from personal experience myself."

"Are you talking about you and Agent Hill?" asked Skye curiously. "I could sense that the two of you were close."

"Oh, no, no, we're simply just really good friends!" chuckled Phil, while shaking his head. "I'm very happily married but it's not to Agent Hill. My wife is also an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and she's one of the best. We started off friends and fell for each other along the way. We've been married a few years now. Anyway, I think we got off track here. Is there anything else that Agent Garrett told you, Grant? For example what did he tell you about S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"He told me that he worked for a secret organization but it wasn't until he returned to the woods over 6 months after leaving me there" said Grant, locking his eyes with Phil's while answering him. "He told me that he worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. and that he had high hopes I would too someday. But only once he'd properly trained me to be a man that could always keep a deep cover intact."

"What do you mean by always keep a deep cover intact?" asked Phil curiously.

"The cover I'd always have to keep intact would be my S.H.I.E.L.D. one, since I wouldn't really be working for S.H.I.E.L.D., as I'd just have to make people believe that I was" explained Grant. "Because the organization that I'd really be working for would be HYDRA, as that's the other secret organization that John works for. So just like him a few years from now he wanted me to work alongside him at S.H.I.E.L.D., while secretly working for HYDRA as well. I think he called it being a sleeper agent or something like that."

"HYDRA?! You're absolutely sure he said HYDRA?!" exclaimed Phil incredulously. "But that's impossible!"

"You've never mentioned HYDRA to me before" said Skye, as she narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "How come? And what the hell is HYDRA anyway?"

"I never mentioned it because truthfully I never really paid too much attention to him when he was explaining everything to me, only the parts that I remembered just now, since he didn't tell me all of that until after he'd shot me. All I could focus on at the time was the pain from being shot and how he refused to take me to a hospital to be treated" said Grant, shrugging. "But yes he definitely said HYDRA. Like Skye asked what is HYDRA anyway?"

"Something very bad and extremely dangerous" said Phil, scrunching his face up as he contemplated on the next course of action to take. "Right now the two of you don't need to know too much about HYDRA. Trust me when I say that HYDRA is an organization you never want to join and one that should technically no longer exist. I'll handle everything from here on out. Don't worry too much about it."

"I take it I've done the right thing in telling you all that John told me?" asked Grant.

"You definitely did the right thing, Grant" said Phil, smiling at him. "Thank you for trusting me. HYDRA is a very bad organization and now because of you we've found out about them early enough and immediate action can be taken to prevent them from rising in the future. On behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. thank you, Grant."

"Umm...you're welcome?" said Grant more so questioningly than acceptingly, while scratching the back of his head.

"You'll have to excuse my adorable boyfriend" said Skye, sighing. "He's not too good with compliments. You gotta ease him into them slowly."

"Thank you for the heads up, Skye" chuckled Phil, as he rose to his feet. "I'm going to go and seek out Director Fury and Agent Hill to inform them both of the new information that has been brought to light courtesy of the two of you. In the meantime the two of you just stay here, okay?"

"Sure thing" nodded Skye, smiling. "Will you be long?"

"I'll try to be no more than an hour tops" smiled Phil. "I'll get someone to bring you both something to eat and drink while you wait."

"Thank you! I'm absolutely starving!" exclaimed Skye.

"Yeah, me too" smiled Grant. "I appreciate it."

"Well I can't let you both starve now can I?" chuckled Phil, as he headed for the door. "You're safe in this room so don't leave it. I'll discuss with Director Fury on where to send you both next for your safety as we attempt to deal with Agent Garrett."

"Can S.H.I.E.L.D. really protect us from him?" asked Grant apprehensively.

"We'll certainly do our best" smiled Phil reassuringly. "And if for any reason S.H.I.E.L.D. fails then I guarantee you both that I won't."

"Thank you, Agent Coulson" smiled Grant. "For everything that you're doing for me and Skye. Y'know, if I'm completely honest with you, I kinda wished I'd met you first, instead of John."

"You can both call me Phil, if you want, instead of Agent Coulson, as I don't mind" smiled Phil warmly. "As for meeting me first all I can say is you've met me now and that's all that matters. I'll keep you safe, Grant, along with Skye. Agent Garrett will never lay another hand on you and I promise you that he will pay severely for shooting you and denying you any form of medical attention afterwards. Now, I have to go but I will be back."

"We're gonna hold you to that..." said Skye, smiling brightly. "...Phil."

"I'll see you both really soon and hopefully by the time I return your dog Buddy will be here and I can meet him. Because honestly I've never known Agent Garrett to ever own a dog until you told me he gave him to you, so I'm curious as to where he even got him from in the first place. So just sit tight and I'll send someone in that I trust with some food and drinks for you shortly" smiled Phil, nodding at them, as he then turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Do you really trust him?" asked Grant once Phil had left the room, as he turned to face Skye.

"I do" replied Skye, facing Grant and nodding. "There's just something about him. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, I do" nodded Grant. "Whatever it is it just screams good guy."

"So you trust him too?" asked Skye.

"I honestly do" replied Grant, smiling. "We're safe, Skye."

"We don't need to run anymore..." said Skye quietly, trailing off.

"...or hide" continued Grant, beaming at her.

"Here's hoping it lasts" said Skye, as she interlaced her fingers with his own.

"I'll do my best to make sure that it does" said Grant, as he tugged Skye from her seat and onto his lap while he wrapped his arms around her waist protectively. "I'd do anything for you."

"I'm that special to you am I?" smiled Skye, as she wrapped her arms around his neck while biting down on her bottom lip.

"You're my guardian angel, Mary Sue Poots" said Grant, grinning. "Because if it wasn't for you I'd still be under John's control right now."

"I'm gonna let my real name slide this time but next time I will make you pay" scowled Skye, before her scowl softened into a smile instead. "You're also my guardian angel, Grant, because if you'd never raided my van for a candy bar then I'd still be alone right now."

"You'll never be alone again" said Grant, as he leaned forward and kissed her softly. "Because to me you're a perfect fit and I'm never gonna send you away."

"You're an adorable goofball, Grant Ward!" giggled Skye, as she closed the short gap between them and claimed his grinning lips with her giggling ones.

Kissing each other like the pair of love struck teenagers that they were was how they remained until an agent stopped by a little later on armed with two trays of food and drinks for them just as Agent Coulson had promised he'd send for them.


	11. Early Enough

**Here's hoping ya'll enjoy the introduction of two more AOS characters along with the return of Maria Hill. :D **

**NOTE: I just wanted to say that with this particular fic of mine I'm referring to all characters by first names instead of last names, as I honestly prefer it due to the constant referral to them via surnames all of the time gets boring after awhile. But that's just my opinion and my liking to be different from time to time. Also, since this is an AU I'm obviously changing a few things when it comes to the characters and things like that. Here's hoping ya'll like what I do. xD**

**And now I'll just run away while reading begins...*bolts!* (I'm sorry?)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would b super cool if I did, but I don't.**

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**Chapter 11: Early Enough**

"You're sure he said HYDRA?" asked Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., from where he currently sat behind his desk in his office.

"I'm sure, Sir" replied Phil with a nod. "He definitely said HYDRA."

"And he said that Agent Garrett told him about HYDRA?" asked Nick, quirking a brow. "And that he worked for them secretly within S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Yes, Sir" replied Phil once more. "HYDRA still exists and Agent Garrett is a secret sleeper agent infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D."

"For how many years?" asked Maria from where she sat beside Phil.

"He never told me how many years" answered Phil, glancing over towards her. "I don't think Agent Garrett told him how many years he's been secretly affiliated with HYDRA."

"How is it even possible we're only just finding out that HYDRA still exists and is still out there now?" asked Maria, furrowing her brows.

"And from a 16 year old boy no less..." commented Nick, as he trailed off.

"I happen to trust that 16 year old boy" defended Phil, while narrowing his eyes at the Director before him. "As well as the 16 year old girl before you attempt to go there next. After all what reason do either of them have to lie to us about this?"

"They have no reason at all as far as I'm aware" sighed Nick, as he leaned over his desk and clasped his hands together. "Especially the girl as she's been on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar her whole life. She just doesn't know it."

"Why is that, Sir?" asked Phil curiously. "What's so special about Skye exactly?"

"Skye? That's what she's calling herself?" chuckled Nick. "I don't blame her for changing her name since Mary Sue Poots isn't the best of names to be graced with in life. As for why she's so special I'm afraid that information is classified to anyone below Level 10 Security Clearance."

"So that's everyone but you then, Sir" said Maria, as she rolled her eyes.

"I'm afraid that's how it must stay for the time being" said Nick. "When and if needed I'll share more information with you both but right now you know all that you need to know about her. And whatever you do don't reveal anything to her. The less people that know about who she really is now then the better."

"Yes, Sir" said Phil and Maria in unison.

"What do we do next, Sir?" asked Maria.

"We do some digging and find out exactly how far Agent Garrett is embedded within HYDRA and how much HYDRA is embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D." answered Nick, glancing back and forth between them both. "We keep it between the three of us for now along with the two teenagers. Perhaps see what else we can find out from them. But above all we keep them far away from Agent Garrett and then when he returns to New York we apprehend him, arrest him and bring him in for interrogation."

"You do realise that if HYDRA is really still out there that there will be more sleeper agents lurking within the shadows of S.H.I.E.L.D. than just Agent Garrett don't you, Sir?" asked Phil, sighing.

"I'm well aware of that, Agent Coulson" nodded Nick. "Which is until we know more then what we've learned so far then it all stays between the three of us and the two teenagers. We better hope they remain quiet and don't tell anyone else about HYDRA."

"I assure you they won't" said Phil. "They don't trust people very easily. The only person they seem to trust completely so far is me."

"Then it's your job to keep that trust, Agent Coulson" said Nick. "It's also your job to protect them and keep them safe. I'm handing their overall protection over to you."

"I'll help you however I can too" said Maria to Phil, smiling.

"Thank you, Agent Hill" said Phil, smiling back, as he then turned his attention back towards the Director. "I have a funny feeling that Agent Garrett might find out that Grant and Skye are here and under my protection. You know as well as I do from past experience that HYDRA have a habit of knowing everything before we even do sometimes. So because of that I suggest they remain here at this base with 24/7 security placed wherever they are."

"But who do we currently trust to protect them 24/7?" asked Maria, quirking her brows questioningly.

"Right now the only people I trust reside in this room" said Phil, sighing. "Along with my wife, as there's no way she's a sleeper agent of HYDRA."

"I agree" nodded Nick. "She's been loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. since day one. I trust her with my life just as much as I trust you and Agent Hill."

"So now that that's all settled what's next?" asked Maria, glancing towards Phil. "We become their security detail?"

"That's exactly what we do next" nodded Phil. "We'll get them settled comfortably in a secure room with two beds and monitor them via surveillance at all times for the rest of the day and throughout the night."

"Sounds like a plan" said Nick, clapping his hands together loudly. "Let's get started shall we?"

"One more thing before we do" said Phil, as he locked his eyes with those belonging to the Director. "They have a dog named Buddy that apparently was given to Grant by Agent Garrett when he abandoned him in the woods. The dog will be joining them here shortly if he hasn't already."

"That's all we need! A damn dog running around S.H.I.E.L.D.!" sighed Nick. "If that dog has any accidents you're cleaning them all up, Agent Coulson."

"It's Grant and Skye's dog before it's mine" said Phil, frowning. "They can clean up any accidents it has before I will!"

"You better pray that they do then" chuckled Nick, as he rose to his feet and strided towards the door. "Come on, Agent Hill. Let's go and set up the surveillance. In the meantime you can go and inform the teenagers of what's going to happen next, Agent Coulson, since they trust you."

"Yes, Sir" nodded Phil, as he followed the Director from the room with Maria following close behind him.

* * *

Over in the interrogation room Skye and Grant had become that bored in the hour since Agent Coulson had left them alone that they'd ended up sitting back and playing none other than iSpy, to which Skye was currently winning.

"I swear you cheat!" huffed Grant in frustration.

"How is it even possible to cheat at iSpy?!" exclaimed Skye.

"I don't know but I'm sure you do" replied Grant, as he turned to look at her. "Because you always end up with a really big twinkle flashing through your eyes right before you win. It's a very suspicious twinkle."

"Whatever you say, babe" giggled Skye, shaking her head at her adorable boyfriend.

Before Grant could attempt to reply back with a witty retort he was quickly stopped from doing so by being momentarily distracted by the door to the interrogation room opening, as a woman with flowing black hair he'd never seen before enter with a friendly smile across her face.

"Grant and Skye I'm guessing?" she asked them as she entered the room.

"Depends on who's asking" replied Skye, as she eyed the strange woman standing before her warily.

"You're dog retriever" smiled the woman, as she stepped back just as Buddy came running into the room at full speed ahead.

"BUDDY!" yelled Skye and Grant in unison, as they dived from their seats and headed straight for Buddy, crouching down on the floor beside him and tickling behind his ears.

"Oh, I missed you Buddy!" squealed Skye, hugging him tightly. "I hope you didn't think we'd forgotten about you!"

"Because we could never forget about you, boy!" smiled Grant, as he hugged Buddy as soon as Skye had released him.

"Thank you for retrieving our dog for us" said Skye, flashing a smile to the woman standing by the door. "We really appreciate it."

"You're welcome" she smiled, walking closer to them. "I didn't mind."

"He wasn't any trouble was he?" asked Grant, as he glanced up at her.

"None at all" she said, shaking her head. "He's a very well behaved dog. You've taught him well."

"Thanks" smiled Skye, as she glanced up at her with a friendly smile. "I'm Skye, which you already know."

"And I'm Grant" said Grant. "Which you also already know."

"It's nice to meet you both" she said with a small smile. "I'm Melinda."

"Do you work for S.H.I.E.L.D. like Agent Coulson does?" asked Skye curiously.

"I do indeed" nodded Melinda. "Everyone around here knows me as Agent Melinda May-Coulson."

"Your surname is May-Coulson?" asked Skye, now more curious than ever. "Are you related to Agent Coulson?"

"Remember my wife that I mentioned earlier?" asked Phil with a smile, as he re-entered the room and came to a stop beside Melinda. "Well, that would be Melinda."

"Talking about me to two teenagers now are you, Philip?" laughed Melinda softly.

"You know you're my favourite topic of conversation" smiled Phil, as he leaned over and kissed her softly on her right cheek.

"Aww! You guys are so cute together!" giggled Skye. "Aren't they, Grant?!"

"Umm...I guess so?" said Grant, furrowing his brows, as he rarely went around thinking affectionate couples were cute, let alone actually paying any attention towards them.

"So this is the famous Buddy is it?" asked Phil, as he crouched down to pet Buddy behind his ears. "Who's a good boy then?! Hmm?! Why you are!"

"I swear to god, Philip, you better not get attached to that dog because we are not getting one" said Melinda, shaking her head at her husband while rolling her eyes at him.

"Oh, relax, Mel" chuckled Phil, as he stood to his feet once more. "I was just being friendly."

"Mhm hmm" muttered Melinda under her breath while folding her arms across her chest indignantly.

"Since your here, Mel, I need to talk to you about something that you can help me, Director Fury and Agent Hill with if you don't mind?" asked Phil.

"Depends on what it is" replied Melinda, quirking a curious brow at her husband. "I'm listening."

"It's about Grant and Skye" said Phil, noting their heads suddenly jerking up to look at him when he said their names. "We're going to need your help monitoring them 24/7."

"We need monitored?" asked Skye, sharing a look full of worry with Grant.

"Only for your protection, Skye" answered Phil reassuringly. "As well as Grant's."

"From John, right?" asked Grant worriedly.

"That's right, Grant" nodded Phil. "Don't worry, okay? I promise that I will do all that I can to protect you and Skye."

"What are we protecting them from exactly?" asked Melinda curiously.

"Director Fury wishes to talk to you about that in a room that's more secure than the interrogation room" said Phil. "He's waiting for you in his office which is the most secure room at this base."

"Very well" nodded Melinda, flashing warm smiles in Grant and Skye's directions before turning to leave the room. "'l'll go and see what he wants. I'll be back."

"You've got yourself a stunner of a wife there, Agent Coulson!" said Skye, flashing him a wink when he turned back to look at her.

"Why thank you, Skye, I happen to think so too" chuckled Phil. "Didn't we agree you could call me Phil?"

"You did" nodded Skye. "I'm still getting used to it though. Personally I prefer A.C. if I'm honest."

"A.C.?" queried Phil.

"It stands for Agent Coulson" smiled Skye. "I like giving people nicknames."

"She calls me G.W." chuckled Grant. "Because it's short for Grant Ward."

"And in return he calls me Simply Skye" smiled Skye.

"That's really cute" chuckled Phil softly. "If you prefer then you can call me A.C., as I really don't mind."

"Awesome!" beamed Skye. "I knew you were a cool one A.C.!"

Phil just smiled at her while gesturing for them both to sit down at the table in the middle of the room. "We need to talk about what's going to happen next."

* * *

As the night slowly settled in so did Grant and Skye. They'd been moved to a bigger room with two single cot beds after Agent Coulson had sat down to talk to them about what would happen next. They were to remain at the base until Agent Garrett had been arrested and brought in for interrogation, because until then they wouldn't be safe until he was firmly within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody where they could interrogate him about all things HYDRA and how involved he really was. Agent Coulson had promised them that even after everything was all over and done with that he would continue to help them and protect them however he could, because if there was one thing S.H.I.E.L.D. never did then that was turn their backs on people in need of protection, and especially two as young as they were.

They eventually allowed themselves to drift off to sleep together with Skye sprawled out over Grant after sneaking from her bed and into his, neither one of them caring in the least that Agent Coulson, Agent May-Coulson, Agent Hill and Director Fury were monitoring them on the security surveillance cameras in another room not far from theirs, because after all they were only cuddling so it was entirely innocent.

* * *

They couldn't say for sure how long they'd been asleep for when their bed suddenly tipped over and promptly threw them to the ground rather violently.

"OW! What the HELL?!" yelled Skye, rubbing the back of her head which now hurt like hell after she'd hit it hard on the floor.

"SKYE! LOOK OUT!" yelled Grant, scrambling to his feet and diving straight for Skye, as he grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet before their attacker could, quickly standing his ground in front of her. "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!"

"Who the HELL do you think you are trying to tell me what to do, boy?!" growled John Garrett, as he slowly approached them.

"Is he who I think he is, Grant?" whispered Skye.

"If you think he's John Garrett then yes, because that's exactly who he is!" replied Grant, never once taking his eyes off of John. "Don't worry, Skye. I won't let him get to you."

"Relax, you stupid boy! I don't want your little girlfriend!" yelled John, gritting his teeth. "I only want you! I want to teach you a goddamn lesson for daring to leave those woods!"

"He had every right to leave the woods if he wanted too because contrary to popular belief you don't own him!" yelled Skye over Grant's shoulder.

"You're in no position to give me attitude, young lady!" growled John, as he settled his eyes upon Skye. "I may not want to teach you a lesson as much as I do Grant here but don't underestimate me because I'm not afraid to raise my hand and slap you across your pretty little face!"

"You'll have to get through me first!" yelled Grant, as he continued to stand his ground. "Because I will die before I let you anywhere near Skye!"

"Well then I guess it's your lucky day isn't it, son?" chuckled John, as he suddenly pulled a gun from around his back and aimed it straight for Grant's head, just as the door suddenly burst open to reveal Phil and Melinda, both of them armed with guns of their own which they immediately aimed at John. "Ah, great, you're just in time for the show of a lifetime!"

"Put down the gun, Agent Garrett, and step away from them" said Melinda while flashing him a very dangerous look. "Don't make me tell you twice."

"I'd do as my wife says if I were you, Agent Garrett" said Phil, never once taking his eyes off of him while discreetly beckoning for Grant and Skye to start slowly moving towards him. "After all you know fine well what she's capable of."

"Oh, give me a break!" scoffed John. "I'm not afraid of The Cavalry!"

"You know I hate being called that" glared Melinda, as she gripped the gun she held in her hands even tighter.

"I don't give a damn what you like being called or not!" said John, rolling his eyes. "I don't give a damn what any of you think anymore!"

"The feeling is mutual" said Phil. "We used to be friends, John. Good friends. But now I know that our friendship meant nothing to you. All you are now is an enemy. And I'll be damned if I let you hurt either one of those teenagers!"

"You can't save everyone, Phil" smirked John.

"You can if you get to them early enough" said Phil, grabbing Skye by her hand and pushing her behind him as she finally got close enough to him. He then quickly reached out to grab Grant as well.

"Trust me when I say that this is one kid that's just not worth your trouble!" grinned John, as he swiftly spun around to aim his gun at the back of Grant's head.

"GRANT! GET DOWN!" yelled Phil and Skye simultaneously, as they both dived towards Grant as quick as they could, and just as Melinda lunged for John.

But a shot still fired...

_BANG!_

...and a body hit the floor.


	12. I Want To Keep Them

**Sorry for the delay on updating guys but life and work got real busy and took me away from writing and updating ._. I'm doing my best to catch up though with this new update to which I'll be doing for my other fics too real soon. So sorry to leave ya'll on that cliffhanger that I did for awhile (hehe ;D) Here's hoping this chapter makes up for it so feel free to tell me what you think, as I always love hearing your thoughts and what you liked :) Enjoy!**

**I just want to say that writing this chapter gave me a high dose of Papa Coulson and Mama May feels. Oops? xD**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: I Want To Keep Them**

"SKYE!" screamed Grant upon seeing Skye suddenly hit the ground with a thud clutching her abdomen tightly, as blood soon started seeping out like a river. He was by her side quicker than he could blink. "SKYE! Oh my god, Skye! No, no, no! Skye, baby, oh GOD!"

"She'll be okay, Grant, she'll be okay..." said Maria calmly, as she crouched down beside him after running into the room. "...Director Fury has gone for help. She'll be okay."

"Skye, talk to me, please!" begged Grant, as he slowly and gently lifted Skye's head on to his lap. "Please say something so I know you're alright!"

"Grant..." gasped Skye just as a searing pain shot up the left side of her abdomen. "...it really hurts!"

"Tell me about it" said Grant softly, as he stroked her hair tenderly. He knew firsthand what it felt like to be shot since he'd already had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of a gunshot wound courtesy of John before her. "But you're gonna be okay, yeah? We're gonna get you to a hospital and you'll be okay again."

"Grant is right, Skye" said Phil soothingly, as he gripped her tiny and now rather pale left hand in his own, squeezing it reassuringly as he did so. "You'll be patched up in no time and on the road to recovery before you even know it."

"I'm sorry..." said Skye raspily. "...I got in the way of the gun, A.C."

"Hey, no, don't do that, Skye, because it's not your fault, okay?" soothed Phil. "I tried to do exactly what you did too. You were just quicker than me that's all."

"Don't blame yourself, Skye, just please don't. I would have done the exact same thing for you too. So it's not your fault, babe" said Grant, as he smiled down at her faintly, before turning his head to the side where Melinda was now standing with a smirking and handcuffed John Garrett. "The only person responsible for all of this is him."

"Oh, boo freakin' hoo at your precious little girlfriend getting herself shot!" spat John bitterly. "It'll serve her right for getting in the way of a bullet that was clearly meant for you!"

"Don't you have any compassion for what you've done?! Don't you care at all?!" yelled Grant angrily. "She could die because of you!"

"Do I look like I care or like I'll be spilling any tears over her tonight?!" scoffed John. "She doesn't mean anything to me. She's just a stupid little girl that got caught up in a game she could never win. Both of you did. Because you're both weak and pathetic and you'll both soon be forgotten about again. There's no one in this world that will ever truly care about either of you!"

"That's where your wrong, John" said Phil, his tone of voice thick with suppressed anger. "Because S.H.I.E.L.D. cares about them and everyone currently in this room! But the one we don't care about is you! I guarantee you you'll be paying severely for all that you've done!"

"You'll be rotting away in a jail cell for the rest of your miserable life" said Melinda, failing to resist the urge to flash John a smug smirk.

"Jail isn't good enough for him..." said Grant, gently removing Skye's head from his lap and onto Phil's, as he then rose to his feet slowly while glaring menacingly at John the whole time. And then in a flash he lunged straight for him. "...because he deserves to die for what he's done to me and Skye!"

"Grant! NO!" yelled Maria, as she jumped to her feet and reached out for Grant, grabbing him by his arms and holding him back the best that she could. "You don't want to do this!"

"Yes I do!" yelled Grant, as he squirmed about in Maria's arms trying his best to break free from her tight hold on him. "He needs a taste of his own medicine!"

"I agree he does but you don't want to be the one to do it!" said Maria, as she wrapped her arms tightly around Grant, preventing him from moving the best that she could. "Trust me on that!"

"Just let him, Maria..." said Phil quietly, but loud enough that she heard him.

"No, because it isn't the way!" said Maria defiantly. "This isn't the type of thing that we teach at S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

"Aww, poor Grant is being told what to do by a woman!" chuckled John. "You're that weak you can't even overpower Agent Hill."

"Let him go, Maria" said Melinda encouragingly. "All he needs is just one good hit and Garrett will be on the floor before he even knows what's truly happened."

"I understand that he wants revenge and the two of you do too but this isn't the way!" said Maria, sighing.

"Grant...please...she's right..." panted Skye from where she lay on the floor, her head nestled on Phil's lap. "...he's not worth it."

"Skye, baby!" exclaimed Grant, turning to face her and successfully pulling himself out of Maria's arms to reach her. "I just wanted to hurt him like he hurt you! I'll hurt anyone that ever dares to hurt you!"

"You're my hero, G.W." smiled Skye faintly. "Y'know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do" smiled Grant, taking her right hand in his own and squeezing it tightly. "And your mine too. Don't you ever forget that, Simply Skye."

"I promise that I won't..." spluttered Skye, as she started coughing up blood.

"Skye?! Skye! No, Skye! Don't you dare cough up blood!" cried Grant, as he leaned down towards her and rested his forehead against her own. "Because that's a very bad thing to do!"

"I can't help it..." said Skye slowly, as she coughed up yet more blood.

"It's lookin' like your little girlfriend is about to kick the bucket!" snorted John. "Don't cry for her too much now, son."

"Do you ever shut up?!" yelled Melinda with a roll of her eyes, before bringing the barrel of her gun hard across John's head and making him faceplant the ground roughly.

"Melinda!" exclaimed Maria, as she rubbed at her temple.

"I have a nervous twitch" grinned Melinda, shrugging. "Sometimes it makes me incapacitate people without warning."

"Now isn't the time you two!" yelled Phil. "One of you needs to go and find Director Fury and tell him that Skye is getting worse! She needs a doctor NOW!"

"I'm on it!" nodded Maria, as she bolted from the room in search of Director Fury to see if he'd successfully managed to track down Dr. Streiten yet.

"Just relax, Skye, and don't try to move" said Grant, as he placed tender, comforting kisses atop her hand. "You're gonna be okay. I'm here for you and I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise me?" asked Skye, her breath hitching in her throat due to breathing now becoming painfully difficult.

"I promise you" said Grant, smiling faintly, as a few stray tears slowly slid down his cheeks. "I'll never leave you."

"You're strong, Grant..." panted Skye. "...stronger than me."

"Are you kidding me?" chuckled Grant softly. "Since the day we met you've been the stronger one out of us. So don't you dare give up on me, okay?"

"I don't think it's up to me..." said Skye, as her eyes started to slowly flutter closed.

"Hey, hey, hey, Skye! No, no, please! Open your eyes, babe, come on now!" pleaded Grant, as he lightly tapped her on her left cheek to keep her awake. "If I can't have you in this life then I don't want to be a part of this life at all anymore!"

"You have so much to live for even if I'm not here..." said Skye, opening her eyes to look at him before succumbing to the urge to close them once again.

"No, I don't!" cried Grant. "Because there's nothing in this broken world that I'll ever love as much as I love you, Skye!"

"You...what?" said Skye, opening her eyes to stare at him just as she jerked forward and coughed up more blood.

"I think it's for the best that Skye doesn't try to talk too much" said Phil sadly. "Talking is making her cough up a lot of blood. I think the bullet might have hit an artery or something."

"I'm fine, A.C., I'm fine..." said Skye slowly, spluttering up more blood as she did so, before then collapsing back onto his lap, her eyes now tightly closed.

"Skye? Skye?!" yelled Grant, his voice full of panic, as he gently tried to shake her awake. "SKYE! WAKE UP PLEASE! SKYE!"

"Grant, it's okay, she'll be fine..." said Melinda, as she crouched down beside him and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "...she's just resting, okay? She'll be fine."

"You don't know that for sure!" said Grant, shaking his head, as his tears now cascaded completely down his cheeks. "I can't lose her! I just can't! I need her! I love her!"

Before Melinda could reply again she was stopped from doing so by Director Fury and Agent Hill running into the room with Dr. Streiten hot on their heels, who immediately dropped to the floor and started checking Skye over. A few minutes later Skye was being carefully lifted from the floor by Dr. Streiten and Phil as they carried her from the room to be taken to the nearest hospital for medical attention that Dr. Streiten promised he would also help to oversee.

As Skye was carried from the room all Grant found himself being able to do was break completely down into Melinda's arms with his head resting lightly in the crook of her neck, as she stroked the back of his hair as soothingly as she could and whispered what she hoped were comforting words to him, while Maria rubbed her hand up and down his back as she too attempted to do the same.

* * *

It was a little over an hour later when Melinda saw her husband again, instantly lifting her head up to look at him. "How's Skye doing?"

"She's still in surgery" replied Phil, as he entered the hospital waiting room and came to a stop in front of where his wife was sitting. "All I know is the bullet hit an artery that required immediate medical attention before it could cause too much internal damage. She's safe in Dr. Streiten's hands."

"I hope so" sighed Melinda.

"Where's Director Fury and Agent Hill?" asked Phil.

"Director Fury left to personally escort Agent Garrett to The Fridge while Agent Hill took Buddy back to her apartment with her since dogs aren't allowed at the hospital" replied Melinda. "She'll take care of him until we can reunite him with Grant and Skye again."

"Speaking of Grant how's he been doing?" asked Phil, as he cast his eyes down towards the sleeping teenage boy who was currently laid down fast asleep with his head resting on Melinda's lap.

"He finally stopped crying and passed out about half an hour ago" said Melinda, as she glanced down to look at him fondly. "It took me awhile to calm him down and get him to stop crying."

"He looks pretty content" smiled Phil, as he sat down on the empty seat on his wife's left hand side, since the ones on her right were currently occupied by the rest of Grant's body being spread out across them. "It seems like he trusts you now as well."

"Of course he does" said Melinda, smiling down at the teenage boy sleeping across her lap, as she ran her fingers through his hair softly like she had been since he'd fallen asleep a half hour ago, as it seemed to be the only thing that soothed him enough to sleep peacefully. She'd figured that out fast due to him waking up with a jerk whenever she stopped. "I told him I would protect him and I promised him that I'd be here when he woke up."

"You're maternal side seems to be coming out" chuckled Phil softly, flashing her a smirk.

"Shut up, Philip" sighed Melinda, as she ignored his smirk.

"Embrace it, Mel" smiled Phil. "It's practice for when our own comes along."

"Did you find out yet how Agent Garrett managed to successfully bypass all of our surveillance to get to Grant and Skye?" asked Melinda, as she glanced at her husband and swiftly changed the subject.

"He had two of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s finest computer hacker's hack into the servers and place a 5 minute delay on the live feed in their room so he could sneak in before we noticed" replied Phil with a sigh. "As you can probably guess those two agents were sleeper agents of HYDRA and have also been escorted to The Fridge."

"How is it even possible that HYDRA is happening?" sighed Melinda. "How did we not know they've been lurking among us for so long?!"

"Because it's what they do best" sighed Phil, as he placed his hand on her arm and gave it a comforting squeeze. "But they aren't happening because we've caught them early enough to which we now have a good chance of stopping them completely before they cause too much damage within S.H.I.E.L.D."

"And all thanks to two 16 year olds..." said Melinda, glancing down to Grant when he started to shuffle his head about a little, soon stopping when she resumed running her fingers through his hair softly like she had been. "...they don't know it but they've no doubt saved S.H.I.E.L.D. from completely crumbling all around us."

"We owe them everything" said Phil, as he too glanced down to the young teenage boy that was contently sleeping across his wife's lap. "It's not quite over yet, Melinda. They still need protecting."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. will protect them" said Melinda, turning to face her husband with a small smile. "Director Fury will make sure of that."

"Director Fury will send Skye back to the orphanage as soon as she's healthy again and given the all clear" said Phil deflatedly. "And if he does where does that leave Grant? I'm not going to allow him to return to Juvie."

"Director Fury wouldn't do that to him" said Melinda, furrowing her brows. "He knows as well as we do that they won't be separated without a fight and that they'd just find their way back to each other eventually no matter what it took. I'm sure if he can he'll place them both together somewhere that's safe for them."

"He can only do that if there's someone willing to take care of them both and protect them no matter what" smiled Phil, as he locked his eyes with hers.

"Philip James Coulson, don't you dare..." said Melinda, as she trailed off warningly.

"They need to be with someone who will always care about them, Mel" said Phil, as he cast his eyes towards Grant and back up to her again. "I can already tell you care about Grant and that you seemed to have bonded with him. I know that in time you could with Skye as well."

"And what about their dog Buddy, hmm?" said Melinda, sighing. "It's too much, Philip. Especially with what we only found out a few weeks ago."

"If anyone can do this then we can, Mel" said Phil, continuing to smile and squeezing her arm reassuringly. "Besides, maybe Maria could keep Buddy for the time being? I doubt she'd mind."

"You're serious aren't you?" asked Melinda, even though she already knew the answer.

"Like I said before it's practice for our own" winked Phil.

"16 years from now, sure..." mumbled Melinda, trailing off to glance back down to Grant who was still sleeping soundly across her lap and completely oblivious to the conversation going on around him.

"Practice is practice at the end of the day" chuckled Phil. "C'mon, Mel. No one else will take care of them like we can."

"So what exactly are you saying, Phil?" asked Melinda, as she turned to face him once more, brows furrowed slightly.

Phil simply curved the corner of his mouth into a smile before answering her. "I want to keep them."


	13. No Going Back

**Here's a nice new chapter that kinda got away from me! Hope you enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think :) **

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Sooo...this story and my plans for it are getting away from me in the way that it's now an AU in regards to everyone, not just Teen!SkyeWard, where I'm now changing a fair bit for multiple characters, since that's the point of an AU, and I hope you like how I approach things and slowly ease other characters when the time is right into the storyline. Anyhoo, I was planning on doing a time jump making Grant and Skye both 18 but honestly I love them being 16 way too much at the moment so instead I'm going to have fun with that for awhile. And lastly you guys wouldn't mind if this fic ended up being about 50 chapters or more, right? :D I'm not joking. I seriously mean it if you think you can continue enjoying it for that long as much as I know I will writing it. :) There WILL be time jumps be them weeks/months/years down the line but years wise not anytime soon. So, 50 or more chapters okay? Yes? No? If yes then expect many other AOS/MCU characters to make appearances when the time is right. xD Until next time guys... enjoy! ;D **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't. **

* * *

**Chapter 13: No Going Back**

"You want to keep them?" asked Melinda, as she raised a quizzical brow at her husband sitting beside her. "We can't just keep them, Phil."

"Why not?" asked Phil with a frown. "They need a good home, Mel."

"You make it sound as if their abandoned dogs that you're rescuing from a shelter" laughed Melinda.

"I know they aren't abandoned dogs" chuckled Phil. "But regardless they still need a good home."

"We don't know the first thing about raising a teenager let alone two" sighed Melinda.

"No parent ever does" smiled Phil.

"We're not their parents" said Melinda, rolling her eyes at him.

"But we could be" said Phil, as he continued to smile at the thought. "They've never had parents that have taken proper care of them before. I want to show them that there are people out there who can care for them, can protect them no matter what and that actually want to provide them with a loving and stable family life."

"And you believe that could be us?" asked Melinda, sighing.

"I do" nodded Phil. "I'm not saying it'll be easy because I imagine at times it won't be. It'll no doubt take some time getting used to having two teenagers living with us but we'll get used to it in time just like I'm sure they will too. We can do this, Melinda. I know we can."

"I don't know, Phil. I just don't know..." sighed Melinda, trailing off.

"Look down at Grant still asleep across your lap and tell me if you think you can honestly just walk away from him now?" asked Phil, as he cast his own eyes down towards him. "You've been trailing your fingers through his hair as softly as you can ever since I walked into the room. Tell me again why."

"Because it soothes him enough to remain asleep" replied Melinda, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth while settling her eyes upon the teenage boy still sleeping across her lap. "What has any of this got to do with walking away?"

"You're acting like a mother towards him, Melinda" smiled Phil. "You're being attentive and loving. You're allowing your maternal side to come out."

"I'll admit I've become a little bit attached to him after spending some time comforting him but regardless I need time to think about this some more before I say yes, Phil, because once we agree to do this there's no going back" said Melinda, as she lifted her head up and glanced at him. "Because if we take them home with us and it doesn't work out then what happens to them? How do you think that would make them feel if they became attached to us and we suddenly just gave up on them like everyone else has?"

"We're not like everyone else, Mel" said Phil, as he placed his hand on her arm and squeezed it reassuringly. "We don't give up on anything that easily. I truly believe that we can do this. We have to at least try. Can't we just try?"

"I find it ironic that for years we try for a family of our own, but it doesn't happen, so we stop trying..." sighed Melinda, glancing back down at Grant. "...but then 6 weeks ago we find out that I'm finally pregnant and already 8 weeks along. And now just after I reach 12 weeks we go from preparing to be parents to not just one child anymore but to 3."

"Some things are just meant to be I guess" smiled Phil. "And I truly believe we're meant to be a family of 5."

"I believe you're crazy" said Melinda, shaking her head. "That's what I believe."

"Then I guess your slightly crazy too for marrying me" chuckled Phil. "Come on, Melinda. Just agree to try."

"I'll agree to think about it" said Melinda, flashing him a warning look just as Grant started to shuffle his head about on her lap. "But that's all for now."

"Better than nothing I guess" sighed Phil deflatedly, fully intending to return to the subject later on once they were alone since he was determined not to give up so easily.

"Where am I?" asked Grant, half asleep, as he rubbed at his eyes in order to focus properly on his surroundings.

"It's okay, Grant" said Phil softly. "You're at the hospital with me and my wife."

"SKYE!" yelled Grant suddenly, as he sat bolt upright. "Oh my god! Where is she?! Is she alright?! Is she out of her surgery yet?! Can I see her?!"

"Whoa, hey, calm down, Grant!" said Phil as soothingly as he could. "I'm afraid she's not out of surgery yet so you can't see her but I promise you that as soon as she is then you can see her, okay?"

"Thank you" said Grant, as he breathed in and out deeply in order to calm himself down. "I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she'll be fine" smiled Phil warmly. "Don't worry too much."

"Did you have a good sleep?" asked Melinda, flashing him a small, tender smile.

"Yeah, I did" nodded Grant, smiling back, before frowning. "I, uh, didn't mean to invade your privacy or anything. It, umm, wasn't my intention to fall asleep across your lap."

"I didn't mind" said Melinda honestly. "Besides, it was my suggestion if you remember. You were panicking too much so I told you to just relax and lie down."

"Yeah, I remember, thank you" said Grant, smiling at her one last time before casting his eyes down towards the floor due to suddenly feeling slightly awkward and a little embarrassed over the situation. He was grateful for Melinda helping him to fall asleep and keep him asleep by trailing her fingers through his hair if he remembered correctly, in a way like a loving mother would, but it still left him feeling a little awkward and embarrassed nonetheless, since he hadn't known her for very long yet had instantly felt comfortable going to sleep across her lap knowing she was close by and watching out for him.

"Hey, Grant? Hey! Grant!" he heard Phil say just as his fingers clicked in front of his face, which instantly made him snap out of his thoughts with a shake of his head and turn to look at him slightly confused.

"Where did you drift off too?" chuckled Phil. "You completely zoned out."

"Yeah, sorry about that, I was, uh, just thinking about some things that's all" said Grant apologetically. "What did I miss?"

"I asked you if you wanted something to eat and drink" said Phil, chuckling once more. "I can go and get you a drink and a sandwich from the cafeteria if you want."

"I appreciate it but I don't have any money on me" said Grant, slumping down in his chair.

"You don't have to worry about that as it's on me" laughed Phil, as he rose to his feet. "I'm going to get something to eat and drink for me and Melinda too. So, what's your preference on sandwiches?"

"Thank you, even though you really don't have too" smiled Grant. "I'm not a picky eater. I'll eat anything so whatever you bring back is fine."

"I may not have too but I want too" said Phil, as he turned and walked out of the room. "I won't be long."

"Even if you'd said no he would've still brought you back a drink and a sandwich" said Melinda, as she flashed a smirk in Grant's direction. "My husband likes to take care of people. It's easier just to let him after awhile."

"I'm not used to anybody taking care of me" admitted Grant quietly. "I've always taken care of myself."

"You shouldn't have to take care of yourself, Grant" said Melinda sadly. "We all need someone in our lives to take care of us at some point."

"I've never had anyone that wanted too before" said Grant, as he kept his gaze fixed firmly on the floor. "I'm used to being alone. Until Skye came along anyway. Now we take care of each other."

"Maybe that'll all change one day" said Melinda, smiling, as she slowly lifted her right arm up and placed it comfortingly around his shoulders. "Maybe one day you'll both finally have someone willing to take care of you both."

"Yeah, maybe, but I don't hold out much hope" sighed Grant, while allowing himself to relax into her side. "But it doesn't matter as long as I have Skye in my life."

"Skye will be fine. You just have to have faith that she will" said Melinda, as she rubbed her hand up and down his arm comfortingly. "You'll both be fine in the end. Me and my husband will make sure of that."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Grant, tilting his head to the side so he could face her.

"It means we'll make sure you and Skye are well taken care of" smiled Melinda. "I promise you that from now on you and Skye will never have to be alone again."

"Because S.H.I.E.L.D. will protect us" smiled Grant, as he rested his head against her shoulder. "It's founded on protection after all, right?"

"That's right, it is. You're safe with us, so don't worry" said Melinda, lightly resting her own head atop Grant's, sighing as she did so, knowing fine well she hadn't meant they'd be safe with S.H.I.E.L.D. but more so with herself and Phil.

* * *

A little while later Dr. Streiten finally strode into the waiting room as they were eating their sandwiches together and talking amongst each other. "So you'll be happy to know that Skye's surgery went well and she's finally awake."

"Can I see her?!" asked Grant eagerly, as he immediately jumped to his feet and bounded towards Dr. Streiten. "Please?!"

"Of course you can" smiled Dr. Streiten. "She's been asking for you. Just don't let her get too excited and don't talk to her for too long as she needs to rest a little bit."

"I'll make sure she rests after I've checked she's alright! Thank you!" grinned Grant, as he darted from the room before anyone could stop him and headed straight for Skye's hospital room.

"What's the bad news?" asked Phil once Grant was out of earshot.

"What makes you think there's bad news?" asked Dr. Streiten, brow quirked.

"There's always bad news" replied Phil, folding his arms across his chest.

"We're not that naive to know she came away from this completely unscathed" sighed Melinda.

"The bullet didn't hit an artery like I believed it had" said Dr. Streiten, as he glanced back and forth between them. "Upon closer inspection once starting her surgery to stop the bleeding from what I had originally believed to be a perpetrated artery I instead found that the bullet had pierced right through her abdomen as well as her left fallopian tube. I removed the bullet which had lodged itself firmly within her left fallopian tube before it could cause anymore internal and long lasting damage."

"What are you saying exactly?" asked Melinda, furrowing her brows. "Skye will be okay won't she?"

"Skye is going to be fine after getting some rest and remaining in hospital for a few days" replied Dr. Streiten, albeit a little sadly. "However, the bullet becoming lodged within her left fallopian tube caused it to collapse after I had successfully removed it. Because of that she's going to need additional surgery to correct once she's fully recovered from being shot. After that it all depends on if it's successful or not."

"In regards to what exactly?" asked Phil worriedly.

"On if I can repair the internal damage that was caused" sighed Dr. Streiten. "Because if I can't then it may be hard for Skye to conceive a child in the future with only one working fallopian tube. It's possible, just harder without a little help."

"So you're saying she might never be able to have children?" asked Phil, wide eyed.

"I'm saying it might be difficult but not completely impossible" said Dr. Streiten. "There's no way to know for sure until she tries. But this also depends on if I can fix the internal damage with the extra surgery she requires. If I can then she should be fine as long as she never gets shot in her abdomen again in the future that is."

"This is going to devastate her" sighed Melinda, as she turned to face her husband. "How can we take her home with us after we tell her something like that and then subject her to being around a newborn baby 6 months from now?!"

"We'll figure something out, Mel" said Phil, pinching the bridge of his nose in slight frustration. "We'll tell her carefully and we'll be there for her afterwards."

"You better start praying that she doesn't suddenly decide to see if she can get herself pregnant anytime soon because if we take those teenagers home with us then we're setting some serious ground rules and they'll be absolutely no sex between them under my roof until they're both over the age of 21 and married!" huffed Melinda, as she pushed past her husband and the doctor to exit the room.

"Oh, how I love her hormones..." chuckled Phil, shaking his head. "...Not!

"You two need to start informing people, especially Director Fury, of her pregnancy soon because she can't hide it forever" said Dr. Streiten. "I've already noticed she's started to develop a small bump under her tight fitting shirts."

"Whatever you do don't tell my wife that unless you wish to be castrated" said Phil warningly. "Any weight gain from her pregnancy is not to be pointed out or commented on until after Melinda herself has been the first one to do so."

"I can see who wears the trousers in your marriage" chuckled Dr. Streiten, as he headed on out of the room.

Phil merely grumbled under his breath while following the doctor from the room.

* * *

"Hey, babe" smiled Grant, as he entered Skye's hospital room, closed the door behind him and sat down on the chair beside her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I got shot!" groaned Skye, shuffling about in the bed until she'd managed to pull herself up into a sitting position against her propped up pillows. "God, you so lied to me you ass!"

"What do you mean I lied to you?" asked Grant, confused, as he reached out and took her right hand in his own, squeezing it tightly as he did so.

"You told me back when Garrett shot you that it wasn't so bad and didn't hurt that much!" said Skye, scowling at him. "But it hurts like a bitch! Therefore my only conclusion is that you totally lied to me about the pain you were in!"

"Yeah, sorry about that" said Grant meekly. "I was trying to act tough around you and mask how much pain I was really in so you wouldn't worry about me too much."

"You're an idiot" sighed Skye, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot" smirked Grant smugly.

Skye just snorted at how adorable he'd looked when saying that. "Okay, that was kinda adorable."

"I'm glad your okay, Skye" said Grant, as his expression turned from playful to serious. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't of been."

"I'm the type of girl that's not going to go down without one hell of a fight first!" smiled Skye, squeezing his hand tightly in her own. "It's gonna take more than a measly gunshot wound to get rid of me, G.W.!"

"Good to know" laughed Grant, as he stood to his feet, leaned over her and placed a soft, tender kiss upon her lips. "Because I quite like having you around."

"I quite like having you around too" smiled Skye, as she tugged him closer for another kiss. "So how long do I have to stay here for?"

"I'm not sure" said Grant, sitting back down on the chair beside the bed while keeping a tight hold of Skye's hand in his own. "You'll have to ask the doctor. Phil and Melinda are talking to him now. After that I imagine they'll be coming to see you too."

"I hope so because I really want to see them, especially A.C., so I can thank him for everything that he's done for us" said Skye. "We're finally rid of that psycho thanks to him."

"Here's hoping anyway" said Grant, frowning slightly. "I'm not entirely sure what The Fridge is but apparently that's where he's been taken by Director Fury."

"Fancy name for a jail where S.H.I.E.L.D. sends their criminals?" said Skye. "Because I highly doubt it's an actual fridge. You can't fit in real fridges. I don't think you can anyway, though I've never actually tried before."

"Neither have I" chuckled Grant. "I think it's probably the name for a fancy jail too."

"So what do we do next?" asked Skye, locking her eyes with his. "Y'know as soon as I can leave here I mean?"

"I don't know" shrugged Grant. "I guess that's something we need to start thinking about. I think asking Phil and Melinda is a good idea, especially since they've both told me that S.H.I.E.L.D. will continue to protect us and look out for us."

"Do you think they'd supply us with a nice apartment in the upper east side of Manhattan?" smiled Skye at the thought.

"I think the most we've probably got to look forward to is a safe house" said Grant, laughing.

"In that case I'd rather go back to living in my van" sighed Skye.

"Me too" said Grant. "We'll probably be forgotten about again soon enough."

"If we are it's no big deal at the end of the day as I'm used to being forgotten about" said Skye sadly.

"You're not the only one" said Grant, squeezing her hand. "But at least we'll still have each other."

"That's true" smiled Skye. "Now that we finally have each other we'll never truly be alone again."

"You got that right, babe" smiled Grant happily.

"So, G.W., wanna get in bed with me and cuddle?" grinned Skye. "I'm feeling a little cold. I might be getting slightly feverish from being shot."

"I better warm you up then and make sure that doesn't happen" grinned Grant, as he kicked off his shoes and slipped into the bed beside her, smiling when she immediately curled up to his side.

"You're a good boyfriend, G.W." sighed Skye contently. "You're pretty cuddly too."

"You're pretty cuddly yourself" said Grant, smiling, as he wrapped his arms even tighter around her and rested his head lightly atop her own.

It didn't take them too long after that to drift off to sleep in each other's arms completely cuddled up to each other as closely as they could possibly get. And it was being completely wrapped around each other fast asleep how Phil and Melinda eventually found them a little later. They'd simply smiled to themselves while quietly slipping onto the chairs on either side of Skye's bed until they both woke up again.

* * *

It was a little over 5 days later when Skye was eventually allowed to leave hospital by Dr. Streiten on the basis that she'd return in just over a fortnight's time for a check up and to see how she was healing. Skye still didn't fully know of all of the potential damage being shot had caused her due to Phil and Melinda wanting to be the ones to break the news to her, specifically Melinda, since she'd figured it would no doubt come easier for Skye to hear from her and not Phil trying to awkwardly explain to her anything about her fallopian tubes, having sex and conceiving children, thus Melinda had agreed to do it and ease Skye into the conversation slowly once she was away from the hospital.

During the 5 days that Skye had remained in hospital Grant had refused to leave her side for anything except trips to the bathroom. He spent all of his time choosing to keep Skye company, as he'd sit in the chair beside her bed talking to her, playing board games with her, watching TV via the little television that rested atop a little stand mounted to the wall in the far corner of her room and of course cuddle up to her in her bed whenever he got the chance too. More often than not the nurses along with Phil and Melinda would walk into Skye's room and find them cuddled up to each other fast asleep, with Melinda even once walking in on them quite happily spooning each other. She'd merely laughed to herself before quickly waking them up and telling them to switch to a less compromising position before her husband walked in and witnessed the scene. It had now become clear to both Grant and Skye that Phil Coulson had become quite overprotective of them both and clearly quite attached, with Melinda gradually showing similar overprotective traits herself after awhile towards them both.

Now that Skye was finally allowed to leave the hospital for good she couldn't help but feel a little sad that she'd have to leave Phil and Melinda behind, since she'd also become quite attached to them. And as much as Grant liked to deny that he hadn't slowly become attached to them himself Skye knew deep down he was lying. Ever since Skye had been shot Phil and Melinda had been constant visitors with Melinda even once managing to successfully sneak in Buddy for a surprise visit with the help of Maria, who'd been the decoy and lookout throughout what they'd come to call _'Mission Objective: Sneak Buddy In, Don't Get Caught And If We Do Use Status As S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents To Get Away With It'. _But luckily for them it had never come down to that and Buddy had managed to be successfully reunited with Grant and Skye for an hour before Maria had sneaked back out with him again and returned him to her apartment.

But now the time had come for Skye to finally leave the hospital with Grant, even though they currently had no idea where to go other than back to living in the back of Skye's van with Buddy again.

* * *

"Are you two absolutely sure about this?" asked Nick, as he furrowed his brows at two of his closest friends.

"I guess we're going to find out" replied Phil, smiling. "After all how hard can it be to raise two teenagers?"

"One of them is a girl..." said Nick, chuckling. "...so harder than you could ever imagine."

"And how would you even know?" asked Phil inquisitively.

"You seem to forget about the time I stumbled across Maria when she was only 17 and saved her from her not so pleasant family life" said Nick, as he folded his arms across his chest. "Just like you have now with Skye I became attached to Maria like a father and wanted to protect her. So I did. And don't even get me started on Natasha because she was harder to raise than Maria!"

"That's your own fault for deciding that Natasha wasn't safe with anyone but you after you had Clint rescue her from the KGB" said Melinda, rolling her eyes. "Though truthfully I think you just wanted to raise Maria and Natasha to be future S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

"It paid off didn't it? No one messes with my girls because they'd die trying and not just via my own hands but my girls' too!" smirked Nick. "But regardless I've only ever wanted what was best for them. I took them both from bad situations, became their legal guardian and gave them a better life. I don't regret it and I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Spoken like a proud father there, Nick" chuckled Phil.

"Because I am" said Nick, smiling softly. "There's no greater feeling. You'll see when you one day have your own. But until then you'll see via raising the two you're taking in because you don't gotta be blood to be family."

"Careful there, Nicholas, because it's talk like that that'll get you a reputation for being soft instead of simply badass and intimidating" smirked Melinda.

"I'm only soft around my girls" glared Nick. "But don't tell anyone I said that."

"Now I know how Maria successfully managed to get a hold of Skye's redacted file so easily from you" chuckled Phil. "I'll bet she came to you batting her eyelashes and pulled the daddy card on you."

"Shut up, Phil!" scowled Nick, sighing deeply. "Moving on, okay? Are you two absolutely sure about this?"

"I wasn't at first but I've since come around to the idea after spending more time with them both" said Melinda truthfully. "I know it won't be easy but I think it'll be worth it and could be for all four of us in the long run."

"You have to be careful when it comes to Skye" said Nick, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. "The whole point of moving her from one foster home to the next her whole life was to protect her. She was never placed within the home of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent just in case it would one day prove to be dangerous. Plus, with our jobs it's hard raising children safely no matter their ages. But if anyone can protect her as well as the boy then it's the two of you."

"We know, Nick" said Phil, nodding. "We're aware of everything but it doesn't change anything because we're determined to do this."

"I don't suppose there's any chance we could see the un-redacted version of her file though?" asked Melinda, even though she already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid not" sighed Nick. "Not unless absolutely necessary. So if that day ever comes then let me know and we'll go from there."

"And until then?" asked Phil, quirking his brows.

"You raise her as a normal teenage girl and the boy as a normal teenage boy. Give them the life they deserve. Raise them well. Keep them safe. But above all show them that there are actually people out there who know how to be real parents, or at least want to damn well try their best!" And with that Nick nodded at them both before walking away briskly and disappearing out of sight.

"Who knew Nick was so deep..." chuckled Phil, wide eyed.

"Maria and Natasha ruined him" laughed Melinda, turning to face her husband. "Just like Skye is going to ruin you."

"And perhaps our own too if we've got a little girl in here" smiled Phil, as he reached out and patted her stomach tenderly.

"Another month from now and we'll find out" smiled Melinda. "In the meantime let's just go and get Grant and Skye."

"Way ahead of you when it comes to getting Skye" came Grant's voice from behind them, as he came to a halt and put the brakes down on Skye's wheelchair she was currently sitting in.

"Before either of you say anything about the wheelchair blame G.W. since he insisted on it!" said Skye, frowning. "Even though I told him that I can walk perfectly fine!"

"It's better to be safe than sorry at the end of the day" chuckled Phil softly. "Now that you're both finally here we should all get going."

"Get going to where exactly?" asked Skye curiously.

"You'll see soon enough" smiled Phil a little cryptically, indicating for them to follow him and Melinda out of the hospital.

Once they were outside Phil helped Grant to gently usher Skye into the backseat of Melinda's car which was a large and shiny black SUV. As soon as they were both buckled safely into the backseat he returned the wheelchair back to the hospital before returning to the SUV and sliding into the passenger seat beside his wife.

"Are you ready for this?" asked Phil with a smile.

"I'm about to find out" replied Melinda with a smile of her own.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Grant curiously, as he tightened his grip around Skye's shoulders. "Where are you taking us?"

"It's a surprise" said Melinda, still smiling, as she started the car engine and drove them all away from the hospital.

"And one I think you're both really going to love!" grinned Phil, failing to resist the urge to flash them a wink.

Grant and Skye merely cast each other a wary look, fearful of where they were being taken next, despite the fact they both trusted Phil and Melinda more than anyone.

Resting her head against Grant's chest Skye happily cuddled up to him, smiling when she felt him kiss the top of her head and rest his head atop her own, as they both looked out of the window into the darkened night, while doing their best to figure out where they were being taken from all of the different streets and houses now flashing by them.


	14. Welcome Home

**I'm so happy so many of you like the idea of 50 chapters, maybe more! :) I've got many ideas to which I've wrote down so I don't forget, so therefore no worries as this fic can easily make it to 50 chapters. Mostly for now though I'm keeping Grant and Skye's ages at 16, but they will age to 18 a little further down the line when it's right for the storyline and so on. In the meantime this will remain a fun little AU (mostly!) and I hope ya'll keep on enjoying! :)**

**_To the guests that have asked_ ~ This fic is set AFTER Bahrain in regards to Melinda (which will be mentioned and explained more soon) and BEFORE the Battle of New York for Phil, therefore to answer the guest that asked me about Natasha being an Avenger the answer is currently no she isn't. This is pre-Avengers. Natasha in this is the adopted daughter of Director Fury along with Maria Hill, and yes she'll make appearances, because her and Maria's sisterly relationship after growing up together from teenagers courtesy of Fury adopting them is something I intend to have fun with... *end of teasers***

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of the characters. It would be super cool if I did, but I don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Welcome Home**

"Where are we?" asked Skye curiously, as she accepted Grant's outstretched hands in her own while carefully jumping out of the SUV with his help.

"The Upper East side of Manhattan by the looks of it" commented Grant, as he glanced up at the rather large house before them. "Is that a safe house you've brought us too?"

"In a way it is" said Melinda with a small smile, as she pushed open the front gate and set off down the small garden path towards the house. "Follow me and I'll give you both a grand tour."

"It's wise not to keep my wife waiting as she can be a very impatient woman at times, especially lately" chuckled Phil, as he ushered them both down the small garden path and into the house, closing the door behind him.

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Skye in awe upon stepping into the house and slowly roaming her eyes around.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Grant, as he came to a halt behind Skye and looked around in awe just like she was currently doing.

As they allowed their eyes to slowly take in their new surroundings they quickly found themselves in even more awe. They were currently standing in a long corridor next to walls that were painted white. Towards the end of the corridor they could clearly make out a medium sized and cosy looking kitchen. To the left were two separate sitting rooms with one being the front and the other one the back, with their doors slightly ajar. And then over to their right was a tiny downstairs bathroom, the door also slightly ajar allowing them to see inside, and that was just beside the swirling staircase that currently had Skye's attention more than anything else.

"How many bedrooms are even up there?" asked Skye curiously, as she tilted her head up even more and craned her neck to the side in order to look around in sheer giddiness that the stairs went up so far before stopping on one floor before continuing to go on up even further to another floor.

"Three on the second floor along with a bathroom. The master bedroom also has it's very own en suite bathroom" said Phil, smiling at their clear excitement. "Then the next floor is actually a walk in attic that we converted into another bedroom awhile back. It has it's own little foyer and alcove before leading into what is now the bedroom with a giant window on the ceiling that leads outside to the roof and the sky above."

"I thought this was a safe house supplied by S.H.I.E.L.D. for me and Skye to stay at until we decided what we want to do next and where to go?" asked Grant, brows quirked. "But your saying that it's actually your house?"

"It's a house where you'll both definitely be safe from now on" smiled Phil warmly. "But it does indeed belong to me and Melinda. This is our home."

"Why would you bring us to your own personal home?" asked Skye curiously.

Phil shared a small smile with Melinda before turning back to face them both. "Because we want this to be your home too."

"Both of us?" asked Grant tentatively.

"Yes, Grant, both of you" chuckled Phil softly.

"You want us to live with you both?" asked Skye, as she did her best to conceal her breath suddenly hitching almost violently at the back of her throat. "For how long?"

"As long as you both want" said Melinda, smiling. "Though preferably for a very long time. We want you to both always feel like you can call our home your home too, because you can. You'll always have a home with me and Phil from now on and no matter what you'll always be welcome in our home."

"Even Buddy is welcome here" smiled Phil. "It took me awhile to convince Melinda but she finally agreed that you shouldn't be separated from your dog. So in a few days from now we'll all go and pick him up from Maria's who's happy to keep him until you've both settled in here properly. After all most families generally consist of two parents, a couple of kids and a dog, right?"

"I'd love to live here with you guys!" said Grant almost immediately, practically beaming at the thought, before then looking down to the ground a little meekly and shuffling about on his feet. "If that's what you guys really want and all."

"It really is so don't worry" chuckled Phil, while smiling happily that Grant seemed to like the idea of living with him and Melinda. "So, what about you, Skye? What do you think about living here?"

"No, I don't want to live here with you" said Skye, her voice a little shaky. "I appreciate the offer and all but I can't stay here."

"Okaaaaay..." said Phil slowly, as he shared a look of confusion with his wife before turning back to face Skye. "Why can't you stay here, Skye?"

"I just can't, okay?" said Skye sadly. "I'm sorry."

"What's wrong, Skye?" asked Grant, concerned for his girlfriend who was now gripping his hand ever so tightly in her own that it was starting to sting a little. "I think the two of us staying here is a great idea. Why don't you want to stay?"

"Because it wouldn't work out in the long run" said Skye, her breathing now becoming heavier while she did her best to contain her tears that wanted to flow. "It never does. Trust me on that."

"What are you talking about?" asked Grant, furrowing his brows.

"I just can't go through getting attached again, okay?!" yelled Skye suddenly. "Only to then be told once again that I'm not a good enough fit and then sent away again! Because this time it would be so much worse since I wouldn't be sent back to the orphanage but more so just tossed into the middle of the street!"

"We would never do that to you, Skye!" exclaimed Phil, horrified that she would even think that. "I promise you, Skye, we're not going to send you away!"

"You'll always be welcome in our home, Skye" said Melinda, as she flashed her a warm and reassuring smile. "We really do want our home to be your home."

"It's not the first time I've heard that!" snapped Skye, as she slowly started to cry. "Though now I'm no longer dumb enough to believe it!"

"Oh, Skye..." sighed Phil sadly, as he now fully understood how she was feeling, since he knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. moving her from one foster home to the next her whole life was responsible for her feeling like she was never wanted or ever truly belonged anywhere. "You have my word, Skye, that me and Melinda will never do that to you."

"I trust you and Melinda to help keep me and Grant safe" said Skye, as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "But I don't know if I can believe you to always want to take care of us. I've been hurt and let down so many times in the past that I just don't think I could ever take it happening again. There's only so much rejection a person can take, even when they are as young as me."

"You can believe us, Skye" said Phil reassuringly, as he stepped towards her and tenderly cupped her cheeks in the palm of his hands, while brushing her falling tears away with his thumbs. "We'll never abandon you because we aren't like that. When we make a promise we do our best to keep it and never break it. If you stay here with us then I promise you that you'll never feel unwanted or like you don't belong. Because we will do everything that we can to always make sure that you feel wanted and that no matter what that you belong here with us."

"You say you trust us to keep you safe so that alone should help you to believe that we wish to take care of you too" said Melinda, as she slowly approached her and reached out to take her hand in her own to hold and squeeze comfortingly. "Because we can only truly keep you and Grant safe if you both live with us full time. So that's what we're offering you both. We're offering you both protection, safety, security, love and a stable home life which you both truly deserve."

"No one has ever tried to reassure me as much as the two of you have just now so thank you" cried Skye, as she gave them both a quick and tentative hug each. "Thank you both so much. I do trust you. And I do believe you now. I promise that I do."

"That's all we want, Skye" smiled Phil, as he placed a comforting arm around her shoulders and lightly hugged her to his chest. "Our home is your home if you want to stay."

"I do" said Skye, her voice a mere whisper. "I really do."

"Then you're more than welcome" said Melinda, as she smiled at Skye and then Grant. "Both of you."

"Welcome home, Skye" smiled Phil, as he kissed the top of her head tenderly before turning to Grant and giving his shoulder a tender squeeze. "Welcome home, Grant."

"It's good to finally feel like I have a proper home" chuckled Grant, as he smiled at the three of them. "The one I was born into was, well, let's just go with unpleasant at the best of times."

"Somehow I don't think that'll be the case here" said Skye softly. "I think here will be a lot more pleasant."

"Yeah, me too" smiled Grant. "Especially since Buddy will be living with us too."

"I'm going to be setting some ground rules for that dog living here" said Melinda, narrowing her eyes at Grant and Skye. "In fact they'll be a few ground rules."

"But rules can wait until tomorrow" said Phil, sighing at his wife already kicking into stern mother mode. "It's getting late, Mel. We should let them sleep and then in the morning we'll talk about everything including rules."

"Okay, okay" said Melinda, as she raised her hands up in surrender. "Sleeping gives me more than enough time to determine what's fair."

Grant and Skye merely flashed each other a look of amusement over Phil and Melinda's already light bickering with each other, as it made them feel a little bit like they were two teenagers in the presence of their bickering parents.

"Alright, so, how about we show you both to where you'll be staying and then we all turn in for the night?" suggested Phil.

"Sounds like a plan, A.C." smiled Skye. "Do we get our own bedrooms?"

"You're certainly not sharing one that's for sure" said Melinda, brows furrowed.

"Aweh! But we're so used to sharing a bed already!" said Skye teasingly and mock pouting.

Phil merely released what could only be described as an uncomfortable sigh, since the last thing he needed to think about was the two of them getting frisky under his roof in spite of their young ages.

"I know we said we'd wait until the morning to discuss rules but when it comes to the two of you sharing a bed or a bedroom then rule number one is that you're not allowed until you're a lot older and preferably married" said Melinda sternly. "Are we all clear on that?"

"Yes, Ma'am" nodded Grant, swallowing nervously.

"You got it, M.C.!" smirked Skye.

"I'm not even going to ask what that means" said Melinda, brow quirked slightly.

"I imagine it stands for Melinda Coulson" chuckled Phil. "Skye likes giving nicknames to everyone she meets based on your first and last name."

"And now you've all got them in G.W., A.C. and M.C.!" giggled Skye.

"Technically mine should be M.M.C., since I use May-Coulson as my surname" said Melinda, smirking.

"Only when we're at work so that it doesn't get confusing with two agents sharing the surname of Coulson" said Phil, grinning at her. "But away from work you're simply a Coulson and you know it."

"Whatever, Philip" sighed Melinda, as she headed for the staircase. "C'mon, kids. I'll sure you your rooms."

Grant and Skye simply smiled at each other before following Melinda up the stairs to check out their bedrooms, with Phil following close behind them.

"You have a choice of two rooms out of the four in our house" said Melinda, as she came to a stop outside of two doors and spun around to face them. "Behind me to my right is mine and Phil's bedroom and then behind me to my left can be one of yours."

"So one of us will always be sleeping next to you and A.C.?" asked Skye, as she scrunched her nose up at that thought.

"That's right" smirked Melinda, as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Yay..." said Skye, trailing off to flash Grant an _'Oh crap!' _look. "...so, what about the other room?"

"That would be the attic on the floor above that we converted into a bedroom" replied Melinda, smirking once more. "Which is right above mine and Phil's bedroom."

"Of course it is" said Skye, sighing. "What about the third bedroom?"

"Yeah, what about that?" asked Grant curiously, as he glanced from Melinda to Phil. "You said this was a 3 bedroom house that became a 4 bedroom house after you converted the attic into one. So where's the third bedroom?"

"Down the hall behind you" answered Phil, as he indicated to the door at the bottom of the hall and just across from another door on the left hand side. "Next to it is the bathroom."

"That doesn't explain why that bedroom is off limits" frowned Skye.

"It's not really off limits but more so a spare room" said Phil, glancing at Melinda, who shook her head discreetly at him on elaborating any further on the fact that the third bedroom was to be their unborn baby's bedroom and nursery that they fully intended on starting to decorate once they knew if they were expecting a boy or a girl in another month's time. "We'll show you that room another day."

"Until then how about you both check out this room?" suggested Melinda, as she pushed open the door to the bedroom next to her and Phil's. "Go ahead."

Nodding at them both and for now deciding on not enquiring more about the other bedroom Grant and Skye instead stepped into the bedroom before them together to have a look around, where they were instantly met with quite a spacious room with a large window that overlooked the back yard that was currently shrouded in darkness due to it being night time, a large wardrobe, chest of drawers and a shelf to the right of the window and single, yet large, bed on the other side of the room.

"Whoa! This room is huge!" exclaimed Skye, as she spun around in a small circle.

"I know it currently lacks in furniture and all, the attic included, but we'll be taking you both shopping and will change all of that soon so don't worry" smiled Phil.

"Did someone just say shopping?!" beamed Skye at the thought. "I'm game for that!"

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" chuckled Phil.

"You'll really take us shopping for furniture?" asked Grant, astounded.

"Of course we will" smiled Phil. "You'll need it to make your rooms feel like home after all."

"I don't think we have enough money saved up from working at Starbucks for furniture somehow" frowned Skye.

"Me and Phil will take care of it" laughed Melinda. "You don't need to worry about money. Though I do suggest keeping your jobs at Starbucks since a little extra cash for yourselves wouldn't hurt. But when it comes to bigger things like furniture, clothes and things like that then me and Phil have you covered."

"Uhh, okay, whoa..." said Grant, rather stunned. "...thanks, really."

"Yeah, what he said..." beamed Skye. "...you guys are truly awesome."

"Yeah, we know" grinned Melinda, as she turned and walked out of the room. "Next stop is the attic."

Smiling widely they quickly dashed from the room and followed after Melinda up the second flight of stairs that led to the attic at the top of the house.

"OH MY GOD!" squealed Skye excitedly after running through the small foyer type of landing and alcove into the attic itself, where she then came to a stop underneath the giant window that overlooked the night sky where the stars were currently twinkling above and shining brightly. "I HEREBY CALL DIBS ON THE ATTIC!"

"Hey! Why do you get the attic and not me?!" exclaimed Grant, as he came to a halt beside her and frowned.

"For one I'm the girl and girls rule!" laughed Skye, sticking her tongue out at him. "And secondly you snooze you lose, babe!"

"You're incorrigible!" huffed Grant, pouting slightly.

"But you adore me regardless!" giggled Skye, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him softly before spinning away from him to check out the rest of the attic, which was mostly bare apart from the big double bed in the middle of the room and right underneath the giant window above, along with a medium sized wardrobe and chest of drawers in the far left corner. "I have a double bed! RESULT!"

"When it comes to that double bed we're going to have to keep a close eye on them when they're in here together" whispered Phil to his wife.

"Let's make keeping their bedroom doors open when they're together one of our rules we'll be laying down" whispered Melinda with a sly smirk.

"I'm not contesting that rule" chuckled Phil, as he then turned back towards the two teenagers. "So, you're finally settled on bedrooms?"

"Yep!" smiled Skye, popping the 'p'. "The attic is mine and the bedroom next to yours is Grant's."

"Excellent!" smiled Phil, as he clapped his hands gleefully. "Then how about we all turn in for the night since it's getting late? Then in the morning we'll all sit down and discuss a few more things out."

"We'll also finish showing you the rest of the house tomorrow too" smiled Melinda.

"Sounds good to me" nodded Skye, as she stifled a yawn. "I'm actually quite tired now that I think on it."

"You're still recovering from being shot so you should definitely get some sleep" said Grant, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"I'll go and retrieve your bags from my car so you can change into any night clothes that you have" said Phil, walking from the room.

"When we go shopping for the furniture to your bedrooms we'll also get you both some more clothes and whatever essentials you'll need" smiled Melinda. "C'mon, I'll show you where the bathroom is again so you can freshen up, brush your teeth and things like that."

"I'm not dreaming after falling into a coma from being shot am I? All of this is really happening isn't it?" asked Skye once Melinda had left the room.

"This isn't a dream, Skye" replied Grant, as he pulled her into his arms and wrapped his arms around her waist. "This is really happening."

"We really have somewhere that we can call home?" asked Skye, beaming.

"We really do" smiled Grant, as he dipped his head and kissed her softly. "And with people that actually act like loving parents."

"Here's hoping it lasts" sighed Skye.

"It will" said Grant reassuringly. "I have faith that it will. Our luck is finally changing for the better."

"And we're together so that's a good thing too" sighed Skye contently. "They wanna keep both of us and not just one."

"I don't think we'll ever find two people willing to be our guardians and potential parents that are better than the Coulson's" beamed Grant, as he dipped his head once more and reclaimed her smiling lips to his own.

* * *

Unknown to Grant and Skye at the time Phil and Melinda had overheard their whole conversation, due to sneakily eavesdropping on the stairs. And it was a conversation that had made them both smile ever so proudly at each other. Because in that moment they knew that taking in both Grant and Skye was one of the best decisions they'd ever made together.


End file.
